TN PRE-K NEEDS YOU TODAY JUNE 16, 2009

Tennessee Alliance for Early Education: Legislative Updates June 16, 2009

On Tuesday, June 16, the state Senate will vote on a proposed budget alternative that shifts
$22 million in pre-K funding to "non-recurring" dollars. This means that after the 2009-2010 budget, a quarter of the pre-K funding is likely to go away. As a result, 250 pre-K classrooms serving 5,000 at-risk 4-year-olds would simply cease to exist in 2010-2011, if funding was not restored.

Pre-K in Tennessee has always enjoyed bipartisan support. But, if the Senate budget passes, it will open the door for pre-K critics to begin to dismantle the program during the next budget cycle. We need your help today to ensure that voluntary pre-K remains an option for our state's at-risk children.

Please take action TODAY :
• Call/contact your own senator and representative (click here to find your legislators).
• Call/contact any others legislators that you know.
• Call/contact all members of Senate and House Finance committees, as these individuals will most likely be appointed to the conference committee.
• Share this e-mail with your friends and ask them to help.

Pre-K works. Eighteen thousand of our state's children are benefiting from the nationally recognized, high-quality program. To lose a quarter of the classrooms would be tragic. That is why legislators must designate recurring funding for the pre-K program this year in order to ensure its future.

NEWS CONFERENCE – YOU'RE INVITED

The Department of Education will host a news conference about pre-K funding on Tuesday, June 16, at 1 p.m., in Room 30 of Legislative Plaza.
You are invited to attend and show your support for pre-K in Tennessee.
To join the Alliance, or for more information, please visit our Web site at www.prekfortn.comor e-mail us at prekalliance@mpf.com. We are also on Facebook.