Voter-approved programs · Multnomah County
Preschool for All
Everything the Record publishes about this program, in one place: the tax, the ballot measure, the money by fiscal year, council votes, what was promised next to what was reported, the auditors' findings, and outcome measures. Each figure carries its source and date. Sections with nothing verified yet say so.
1 · What it is
Preschool for All pays for free preschool in Multnomah County.
- Who pays
- Higher earners, through a Multnomah County personal income tax with marginal rates that begin at 1.5% on taxable income above $125,000 (single) or $200,000 (joint).
- Who runs it
- Multnomah County.
as of 2026-10-15 · source 1
Rates, as published
| PFA marginal rate, first bracket current | 1.5% | source as of 2026-10-15 |
| PFA marginal rate, higher bracket (cumulative) current | 3% | source as of 2026-10-15 |
| PFA marginal rate, first bracket (effective 2027-01-01) 2027 | 2.3% | source as of 2026-10-15 |
| PFA marginal rate, higher bracket (effective 2027-01-01) 2027 | 3.8% | source as of 2026-10-15 |
In plain terms
Preschool for All is a Multnomah County program that pays for free preschool, funded by a personal income tax on higher earners. The tax uses marginal brackets, meaning each rate applies only to income above a set threshold: currently 1.5 percent on the first bracket and 3.0 percent cumulatively on the higher bracket. Effective January 1, 2027, those rates rise to 2.3 percent and 3.8 percent. As of November 2024 the program served about 2,000 children across 122 preschool sites, up from 48 participating sites in FY23 and 82 in FY24. Over its first three years (FY23 through FY25), the tax collected about $213 million more than budgeted and earned roughly $20 million in interest.
AI-drafted plain-language summary, reviewed by an editor — not the verbatim official record. See the sources for the exact wording.
Summary as of 2026-06-24
2 · What voters approved
The ballot measure
The measure that created this program is not in the Record's verified election results yet. It appears here, linked to Voters and the Council, once the editor has checked its certified result.
3 · Money over time
Revenue, spending and fund balance by fiscal year
- Tax revenue, original adopted budget
- Tax revenue, actual (audited)
- Spending, actual (audited)
- Ending fund balance (audited)
FY2021-22
FY2022-23
FY2023-24
FY2024-25
| Fiscal year | Measure | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2021-22 | Tax revenue, original adopted budget | $96,250,000 | sourceas of 2026-08-03 |
| FY2021-22 | Tax revenue, actual (audited) | $187,112,000 | sourceas of 2026-08-03 |
| FY2021-22 | Spending, actual (audited) | $23,654,000 | sourceas of 2026-08-03 |
| FY2021-22 | Ending fund balance (audited) | $169,115,000 | sourceas of 2026-08-03 |
| FY2022-23 | Tax revenue, original adopted budget | $112,000,000 | sourceas of 2026-08-03 |
| FY2022-23 | Tax revenue, actual (audited) | $199,478,000 | sourceas of 2026-08-03 |
| FY2022-23 | Spending, actual (audited) | $30,183,000 | sourceas of 2026-08-03 |
| FY2022-23 | Ending fund balance (audited) | $344,007,000 | sourceas of 2026-08-03 |
| FY2023-24 | Tax revenue, original adopted budget | $152,592,000 | sourceas of 2026-08-03 |
| FY2023-24 | Tax revenue, actual (audited) | $187,042,000 | sourceas of 2026-08-03 |
| FY2023-24 | Spending, actual (audited) | $60,007,000 | sourceas of 2026-08-03 |
| FY2023-24 | Ending fund balance (audited) | $485,407,000 | sourceas of 2026-08-03 |
| FY2024-25 | Tax revenue, original adopted budget | $163,000,000 | sourceas of 2026-08-03 |
| FY2024-25 | Tax revenue, actual (audited) | $203,377,000 | sourceas of 2026-08-03 |
| FY2024-25 | Spending, actual (audited) | $99,047,000 | sourceas of 2026-08-03 |
| FY2024-25 | Ending fund balance (audited) | $609,993,000 | sourceas of 2026-08-03 |
All four series are from Multnomah County's Annual Comprehensive Financial Reports.
Other published money figures
Figures that are not part of a year-by-year series — multi-year totals, plan commitments, and one-off amounts — each with its own period and source.
4 · Council decisions acting on it
Council votes linked to this program
No council votes are linked to this program yet. A vote is listed here only through a documented link — the vote's verified fiscal classification names this program, or the ordinance or resolution itself cites the ballot measure — never because its title mentions the program. The full record is in the Council Vote Ledger.
5 · What was promised, and what was reported
Promised vs. delivered
Promise records quote the promising document and render only after the editor verifies them. Delivered figures are the program's own reports and audited statements. Each is shown as recorded; the Record computes no percent-of-goal and draws no conclusion.
Preschool for All
What voters were told
$133,000,000
2020-07-01 · official plan Editor-approved in batch
What the audited books show
$203,377,000
FY2024-25
Across 4 years reported: $187,042,000–$203,377,000/yr , every year above projection .
source · audited figures · audited figures · audited figures · audited figures
Seats — funded slots
"Funded slots" is a distinct metric from preschool sites or children served — the figures below are funded-slot counts only.
Promised
- 7,000 (fall-2026) official plan Editor-approved in batch *
- 12,000 (fall-2030) official plan Editor-approved in batch *
Delivered (funded slots)
- 700 (FY2022-23)
- 1,400 (FY2023-24)
- 3,800 (FY2025-26)
Rate-increase trail
- 2020-07-01 official plan Editor-approved in batch
automatic .8% rate increase in 2026 †
Other promise records on file
* New slots promised IN ADDITION to the 3,116 publicly-funded slots the Plan counted as already existing.
† The Measure 26-214 ballot filing that voters read is published only as a scanned image with no text layer, so this record carries the County's own Plan wording rather than the ballot summary's. promise_source_kind is official_plan for exactly that reason.
On the accountability ledger
-
Preschool for All: managing $213M in over-budget collections
In progress“County reporting: the tax collected about $213 million more than budgeted over its first three years and earned roughly $20 million in interest; the county auditor's review says the program needs to address risks to expansion”
The record:The county's own audit-report page discusses the surplus and expansion risks; the published 2027 rate increase (1.5%→2.3%, 3%→3.8%) proceeds as scheduled per the county's Rate Change Notice. Future county reports are the check on how the surplus is applied.
as of 2026-07-22 · source 1 · source 2 · on the ledger →
6 · Audits and recommendations
What the auditors found
-
Preschool for All: The program is largely achieving its equity goals, but needs to address risks to expansion
April 2025
The finding, as recorded from the report
The program is largely achieving its equity goals, but needs to address risks to expansion. The audit found Preschool for All is reaching its equity objectives but must improve provider support and outreach and spend more of its reserves to stay on track for universal preschool by 2030.
Figures the report states
- 2,000 children (nearly) — Children served as of November 2024
- 122 sites — Participating preschool sites as of November 2024
- $30,000,000 (nearly) — Spent on preschool contracts (about half of program spending)
- 11,000 seats — Seats needed to reach universal preschool by September 2030
- $41,000,000 — Dedicated to reserves and contingency for FY25
as of 2026-06-24 · audit report
The Record carries each audit's headline finding and the figures it states. Recommendation-by-recommendation status is not in the Record's data yet; where an auditor reported a count of recommendations by status, it appears above in the auditor's own words.
7 · Outcomes context
What the program and others report
Reported counts sit here beside the money, not as its result: the Record draws no causal line between a program's spending and any outcome.
| Reported figure | Period | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| PFA children benefitting (ACFR cover statement) | FY2024-25 | 3,800 | source as of 2026-08-03 |
| ~ children served by PFA (as of Nov 2024) | 2024-11 | 2,000 | source as of 2026-10-15 |
| PFA preschool sites (as of Nov 2024) | 2024-11 | 122 | source as of 2026-10-15 |
| PFA preschool slots filled (ACFR narrative) | FY2022-23 | 700 | source as of 2026-08-03 |
| PFA preschool seats offered (ACFR narrative) | FY2023-24 | 1,400 | source as of 2026-08-03 |
| PFA preschool seats, PROJECTED for FY2025-26 by the FY2024-25 ACFR | FY2025-26 | 3,800 | source as of 2026-08-03 |
| PFA preschool sites that participated | FY23 | 48 | source as of 2026-10-15 |
| PFA preschool sites that participated | FY24 | 82 | source as of 2026-10-15 |
| PFA preschool sites that participated | FY25 | 122 | source as of 2026-10-15 |
The population this tax is levied on — high-earner returns and households in Multnomah County over time, beside peer counties — is on the How Portland Compares page: high-earner tax base.
Other programs: Supportive Housing Services · Portland Clean Energy Fund · Parks Levy · Arts Tax · Voter-Approved Taxes