The 2008 budget for Frisco, Colorado includes a shot in the arm for early childhood education, with more than $130,000 targeted toward supporting the Summit County Preschool. For me personally, this is great news as I have a 17 month old daughter.
The bulk of the money will go toward subsidizing salaries and to helping pay for professional development. "The biggest issue is hiring and retaining well-qualified professionals," said Early Childhood Options Director Lucinda Burns. Keeping staff is key because it ensures consistency and stability for the children, she added.
"We'll be able to do salary increases between 15% and 20%," said Summit County Preschool director Pam Garvin. The salary boost will put Frisco on a level playing field with Breckenridge, and help attract high-quality teachers, Garvin said.
The idea is to find people who want to make early childhood education a career rather than a stepping stone to something else, Garvin said. The town of Frisco also earmarked some money for ongoing maintenance and curriculum development, said Town manager Michael Penny.
The budget item triggered a short discussion on long-term funding needs for early childhood education. The idea is to replace Town budget appropriations with a direct revenue stream, perhaps from an incremental sales or property tax increase, Penny said.
It's not clear when Frisco residents might be asked to decide on preschool funding via the ballot. Penny said it could be that the Town might have to step up more than just this one year to support teacher salaries before going to the voters.
Credit to Bob Berwyn of the Summit Daily News.
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