Visit Perea and see benefits of pre-K

I was dismayed and confused by the statements made by Kenneth Whalum in your Nov. 22 article “Voters reject salestax initiative.” He was delighted that the sales-tax referendum for prekindergarten and lower property taxes had failed. Undoubtedly Whalum doesn’t live in Memphis, or he would know how important pre-K funding is to our children. I encourage him to visit Perea Pre-K school in North Memphis and see the difference that school makes in the lives of children 3 and 4 years old. I have visited Perea at least twice a week for the last two years, and I have seen the tremendous difference in those kids.

Most of these children come from single-parent homes and high-crime areas. They have learned how to respect one another and are well prepared to enter kindergarten. The staff and teachers at Perea have done an excellent job in preparing our children for kindergarten. My church and the National Council of African American Men, Memphis Chapter, have strongly supported pre-K in our city. Sad to say, not all children 3 and 4 years old get this opportunity due to limited funding and the defunding of Head Start. People in Memphis voted against pre-K funding, but as we approach the holidays, watch and see how crowded the malls will be in those suburbs that have higher sales taxes with people from Memphis.

Being a former school board commissioner, it would appear that Whalum would know the importance of pre-K, but undoubtedly to him, children are not our future. Here’s an idea: Mr. Whalum, why don’t you start a pre-K program at your church?