LETTER: Cut to Pre-K disturbing; however...

Your article regarding a 25% cut to Pre-K programs was disturbing and prompted me to do further research.

Supt. Chris Reykdal (D), whom I voted for, blames Democrats in the Legislature and Gov. Bob Ferguson (D). Reykdal thinks pressure from in-home care providers combined with purely wanting to save money influenced the final decision.

Being a Democrat myself, and knowing Democrats value education, it appears that an important part of this article is missing. That missing information would be about the Early Childhood Education & Assistance Program (ECEAP). The success of Pre-K is undeniable; however, it does not offer family and health services and does not focus on children with the least opportunities (poverty, unstable housing, poor educational resources, etc.) as does ECEAP.  These are strong predictors of future low earnings.

In an ideal world, public schools would be fully funded, but the harsh reality is that they are not.  Priority setting results in cuts. While I like Reykdal and I would like to see 100% funding for both programs, the reality is that there is currently not enough to go around.  And that would be the flip side of this article to balance out the reporting.

Vaughn A. Blethen

Moses Lake