Kenney again calls for 'universal pre-K' in city

Jim Kenney, the Democratic nominee for mayor, on Thursday repeated his push for "universal pre-K" for all 4-year-olds in Philadelphia by the end of his first term if he wins the Nov. 3 general election.

Kenney, however, would not detail how he would fund that $60 million plan.

While touring a pre-K classroom in the Spring Garden neighborhood with Gov. Wolf and City Council President Darrell L. Clarke, Kenney said the details would come in next year's budget process.

"At this specific point in time, you're not going to get any specifics from me," Kenney said, "because we want to be sure we have every 'T' crossed and every 'I' dotted before we trot out a plan. That is our goal. That is our aspirational goal. And we're going to make that happen."

Kenney has said that $40 million for his plan would come from the city, in part by selling commercial tax liens and increasing land values on tax-abated properties.

The remaining $20 million would come from nonprofits, businesses, and community groups, possibly in payments in lieu of taxes, known as PILOTS, or services in lieu of taxes.

Kenney would not say if he had any commitments for that money.

Wolf, who endorsed Kenney during the visit to Spring Garden Academy, saw his proposed state budget fail in a vote in the state House on Wednesday.

Wolf, a Democrat, is feuding with the Republican-controlled Assembly about new and increased taxes to fund public education. The state budget was 100 days overdue as of Thursday.

"If we don't invest in this kind of activity, we're not going to have a strong economic future," Wolf said of universal pre-K. "We're not going to have a healthy democracy. We're not going to have healthy communities."

Kenney is favored to defeat Republican nominee Melissa Murray Bailey, independents Jim Foster and Boris Kindij, and Osborne Hart of the Socialist Workers Party in the general election. Democrats have a 7-1 voter-registration advantage over Republicans and independent voters.

Clarke, who endorsed Kenney in the six-candidate primary election, started his remarks Thursday by thanking Kenney as the "presumptive mayor" before joking that Kenney asked him not to call him by that title.

"Just call me Jim," Kenney advised.

Clarke went on to call him that two more times.

brennac@phillynews.com

215-854-5973

@byChrisBrennan