Two days after the polls closed in Denver, the fate of measure 1A, which would raise Denver’s sales tax to pay for preschool for some children, is locked inside thousands of uncounted votes.
Of 117,825 known votes cast on the measure, 1A was 293 votes ahead Thursday evening. But election officials estimate there may be more than 32,000 absentee ballots, as well as other ballots, yet to tally.
“We’re looking at sometime Friday before we have anything firm,” said Alton Dillard, a spokesman for the Denver Election Commission. So far, Dillard said, counters have completed more than 125,000 total ballots.
The measure’s backers, Preschool Matters, declined to comment.
Other observers shook their heads.
“I guess we wait for three days,” said City Councilwoman Rosemary Rodriguez. “It would have been great to know what happened. It’s frustrating.”
Measure 1A would raise city taxes to help parents pay for preschool education. The measure would raise sales taxes 12 cents per $100 to fund child-care tuition credits for families of 4-year-olds and provide money to improve preschool programs.
Proponents say it would help as many as 2,000 children gain valuable social skills and a strong preparation for their education.
Opponents say the money would violate the separation of church and state by funding faith-based schools. Others grumble the money could be spent on more traditional city services.
Denver’s teacher union watched the measure Wednesday with some skepticism.
Kim Ursetta, president of the Denver Classroom Teachers Association, which represents 3,000 teachers, said she had questions about the quality of the preschool programs that would receive funding through 1A.
Though the union didn’t take an official position on it, Ursetta said she worried about the level of experience of the teachers hired, as well as what the preschools would look like.
“Whether it passes or fails, these are important questions that need to be asked,” she said. “Without having any minimum standards of what a quality preschool looks like, we don’t know what the goals are for it. We’d love to be involved in shaping that conversation.”
Union officials also said they were opposed to having tax dollars go to religious or private institutions.
Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper promoted the measure, and the campaign benefited from more than $1.4 million in donations and loans.
By comparison, last year’s campaign to pass a tax to build the $378 million Justice Center raised $700,000.
Staff writer Allison Sherry contributed to this report.
Staff writer Chuck Plunkett can be reached at 303-954-1333 or cplunkett@denverpost.com.
