Commissioners press administration as county pre-K funds go unpaid; Early Head Start match at risk, presenters warn
Loading...
Summary
First Five Memphis reported a Q1 pre-K status and warned county budget cuts and delayed county disbursement of FY26 funds threaten about 300 seats and wraparound services; commissioners expressed anger at administration delays and asked for immediate documentation and vendor lists.
Candace Thomas, executive with First Five Memphis, presented the quarter 1 pre-K report and budget status March 25, telling commissioners the school-year Q1 spending included roughly $2.9 million paid to pre-K operators and that the current per-pupil investment is $9,483. Thomas said the city and county had budgeted a combined $20 million for pre-K this fiscal year but that county dollars had not yet been disbursed; she said the FY27 proposed county allocation would be reduced by about 15%, which could mean cutting approximately 300 seats or trimming per-pupil supports.
Thomas added that Early Head Start requires a county local match; because the county had not paid that match this year, staff had contacted HHS to request a waiver and were awaiting a decision. "If we don't provide the match, we risk the Early Head Start program's continuity," Thomas said.
Commissioners pressed for details: Commissioner Mills and others asked whether the commission had legal remedies, why the administration had not disbursed funds that the commission previously approved, and for a list of pre-K operators who have not been paid. Commissioner Wright said the absence of administration officials (mayor, finance, HR) at the committee was unacceptable and demanded prompt answers. Several commissioners described the situation as a breakdown in execution: "How can there be no one here from the administration to speak to these things?" he asked.
Chief Administrative Officer Harold Collins responded that the administration performed due diligence on contracts and vendor materials before releasing county funds, citing legal reviews and vendor questions. Collins said the mayor had executed the contract and the administration intended to expedite payments; he also said Oracle implementation had revealed many vendors with expired EOC numbers, delaying payments and requiring procurement and EOC remediation.
Thomas and other committee members requested an immediate list of unpaid operators and timeline for payments. The committee did not take a formal vote on the pre-K funding questions but asked staff and administration to provide documentation and to work with providers to avoid service interruptions.
Why this matters: The county's failure to release budgeted funds has immediate programmatic consequences for early-learning operators and may jeopardize federal matches for Early Head Start, which require timely local commitments. Commissioners signaled they expect the administration to accelerate payments and produce a written explanation and vendor list.
