When Hollis Burton tried to register his son, Hollis Jr., at Bay Point Preschool in Point Loma two years ago, he was told his family didn’t qualify for free state preschool because he made too much money.
Burton, a Navy Engineman Second Class, and his wife, Vyette, were one of the first families to move into the 500-home community surrounding Bay Point Preschool at Liberty Station almost four years ago. They were also one of the first families to feel the effects of a change in state law made about two years ago that counted Navy housing allowances as reportable income.
Although Burton never touched a dime of the allowance, it put him over the income threshold to qualify for free state preschool care by about $400. And since the family couldn’t afford the tuition at Bay Point ” nor at any other public or private institution ” it forced the Burtons to homeschool their son.
“It was frustrating because we wanted him to interact with other children. He saw his friends go [to preschool] and he couldn’t,” he said.
For the last two years, families like the Burtons, with help from local legislators and school officials, have been working to fix the technicality.
As a result, Assemblymember Lori Saldaãa, state Superintendent of Schools Jack O’Connell, Navy and school officials announced the successful adoption of emergency regulations excluding housing allowances as income for approved cases.
The announcement came during a formal press conference Nov. 29 at Bay Point Preschool, 2850 Wasp Way at Liberty Station.
The changes made in November to the California Department of Education Code now allows the Burtons to enroll their 2-year-old son, Carlos, in Bay Point next year.
“We want to get our children off to the best start possible “¦ it’s the least we can do for our military families,” Saldaãa said.
Saldaãa’s office originally pushed for legislation, AB 170, which would have fixed the problem at the state level. The bill, however, was killed in Appropriations Committee for “fiscal reasons” earlier this year, Saldaãa said.
The housing allowances that put families like the Burtons over the limit came partly as a result of the privatization of Navy housing. Funds disbursed to Navy families for housing go directly to Lincoln Military Housing, the agency administering housing at Liberty Station.
The move toward privatized housing increased the standard of living for many Navy personnel, said Capt. Mark Patton, commanding officer of Naval Base Point Loma.
Patton said the effect felt by Navy families was an unfortunate consequence but that the housing benefit has been restored.
“It was basically an accounting error,” he said during the press conference.
That error, however, nearly caused the closure of the preschool facility at Silver Strand Elementary School on Coronado because of underenrollment, said Principal Bill Cass. The school had to reduce preschool classes from two classes to one class because of the old legislation. He said the recently adopted change will allow the school to reopen the second class to income-eligible families.
“In a small school and small military community like ours, it is a significant and very much appreciated change,” Cass said.
Other schools affected by the regulations include sites in South Bay, National City, Lemon Grove, Lakeside and Oceanside, according to Cathy McDonald, an early education consultant with the San Diego County Office of Education. Those sites and others serve many low-income Navy families who cannot afford the $500 a month or more for quality preschool education, she said.
McDonald said early education programs like state preschool aid young children in developing learning skills early. This is especially crucial for children learning English as a second language, she said. Early education also helps close the achievement gap between children from different socioeconomic backgrounds, she said.
Because of the new regulations, Burton said his younger son would get the jump on quality preschool education his older brother didn’t.
“We don’t expect anything for free,” Burton said, “but we’ll take advantage of every opportunity we have.”