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Subcommittee approves amendment to prioritize educators for voluntary pre‑K and to keep minimum age at 4
Summary
Rep. McCalmon’s amended HB 20,48 gives educators priority access to voluntary pre‑K slots (without displacing high‑risk children) and the committee adopted a verbal amendment restoring the minimum eligible age to 4 before advancing the bill.
As amended, House Bill 20,48 allows educators working in local education agencies to receive priority access to voluntary pre‑K programs while explicitly preserving access for high‑risk children. Sponsor Representative McCalmon said the change grants educators some priority "not at the expense of... high risk students," and the amendment initially proposed lowering the minimum eligible age to 3 but the committee accepted a verbal amendment to restore the minimum age to 4.
Legal counsel recited the statutory definition for at‑risk children (income eligibility, special circumstances) to clarify how priority and enrollment rules would interact. Members expressed concern about administrative burdens and agreed a verbal amendment to keep the minimum age at 4 would expedite committee action; the bill passed to full Education with an 8–0 recorded tally.
