Good investigative reporting by Willamette Week's Sophie Peel featuring commentary from our own Gerard Mildner on the slow pace and underspending by Multnomah County as they try to roll out universal preschool. A worthy goal, but questions abound about implementation and follow-through. "The costs are extraordinary," says Dr. Mildner - on the high overhead of the program, particularly when the number of new classrooms appears to be so low. To quote Multco Commissioner Julia Brim-Edwards: “We need to have a plan. We need to be taking urgent action. We need to be transparent and show results,” Brim-Edwards says. “That is what rebuilds trust.” After all, the cost and performance of the program are quite significant to the county taxpayers paying 1.5% and 3.0% annually to fund the program. https://lnkd.in/gd-MbeiE
