Patrick called 'budget hero' for pre-K funding

(Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff/file)

By Michael Levenson, Globe Staff

Governor Deval Patrick has gone from "failure to act" to "budget hero" in a year, according to a national education advocacy group, which is hailing his decision to increase funding for pre-kindergarten programs.

Last April, Pre-K Now sharply criticized Patrick for failing to live up to his campaign pledge to increase funding for pre-kindergarten education and called his decision to level-fund the program "an opportunity sorely missed." This year the group has singled him out for praise for proposing to triple the funding. The $15 million boost, if approved by the Legislature, will provide access to pre-K programs for 11,000 more three- and four-year-olds.

"In times of crisis, we can clearly see what a governor's priorities are," Libby Doggett, executive director of Pre-K Now, said in a statement. "Governor Patrick's commitment to funding increases for Pre-K shows true leadership that will bring long-term returns to children and to the state."

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