Seattle (March 5, 2019) – Mayor Jenny A. Durkan issued the following statement regarding today’s transmittal of the Families, Education, Preschool and Promise Implementation and Evaluation Plan:
“When almost 70 percent of Seattle supported the Families Education Preschool and Promise Plan, they gave their strong approval to nearly double the number of children in the Seattle Preschool Program, invest in K-12 youth so every child has access to opportunity, and expand the Seattle Promise College Tuition Program so public high school graduates can access two free years of college.
“This ordinance takes a major step towards closing the opportunity gap in our City, putting our young people on a path to good-paying jobs, and creating a more affordable future for our City’s students. These investments in quality preschool, K-12 education, and college will build true economic opportunity for our young people.
“I want to thank our hardworking staff at the Department of Education and Early Learning as well as our outstanding partners at the Seattle Colleges, Seattle Public Schools, the Levy Oversight Committee, our community based organizations and all of the Seattle Preschool Program providers. Working together we have turned our aspirations of a pipeline to opportunity and an education system that supports our kids from preschool through the Seattle Promise into reality.
“I particularly want to thank Councilmember Rob Johnson and Councilmember M. Lorena González for their continued work on the Families, Education, Preschool and Promise plan. I am pleased to pass this ordinance on to the City Council for their review and deliberation so we can get to work building pipelines to opportunity.”