Programming Documents for Pre-K for SA - The City of San Antonio

Meeting Notes
City of San Antonio Early Childhood Centers of Excellence
Preliminary Meeting w/CoSA Education Policy and Services Administrator – July
10, 2012
Distribution: July 11, 2012
Attendance
City of San Antonio (CoSA):
Rebecca Flores Education Policy and Services Administrator – City
Manager’s Office
Bill Hensley Project Manager - CIMS
Facility Programming and Consulting (FP&C):
Bryan Sibille Project Manager
Molly Cundari Senior Facility Programmer
Meeting Overview:
The notes provided below are in reference to the initial meeting with the Education
Policy and Services Administrator in the City Manager’s Office regarding the Early
Childhood Centers of Excellence proposed by the Mayor’s SA2020 Brainpower
Initiative Task Force.
• Rebecca Flores provided an overview of the Brainpower Initiative and its
goal to provide businesses with a better educated workforce. It was decided
to work to achieve this goal through a concentration on early childhood
education. It is envisioned that this could result in economic development of
the city in the future in its ability to attract companies to the area which
require a higher skilled/educated labor forces.
• A 1/8 cent sales tax has been proposed to be included on the November
ballot. If approved, the tax will generate approximately $125 million over the
next 5 years.
• Head Start has been proposed as the model for the basic facility design but
there is concern that it may not be possible to achieve all of the federal
design requirements due to the budget concerns. The proposed facility design
should strive to be the best teaching environment possible in order to
attract/recruit the best educators.
• Community School program offered in New York City through the
Children’s Aid Society was also discussed briefly as a program
which may have functions desired for the new centers, although on a
much smaller scale and without the community health services
offered (medical, dental clinics, etc.).
• As the program may only be funded for the next 5 years, there is an
awareness that the money needs to be spent wisely, buying the best facilities
possible, within the allocated budget.
City of San Antonio Early Childhood Centers of Excellence
Preliminary Meeting with CoSA Education Policy and Services Administrator Page 1
July 10, 2012