Campaign for Denver preschool tax raises nearly $400,000

The campaign that’s pushing for extension of Denver’s preschool sales tax has raised $395,450 for its effort to persuade Denver voters to pass measure 2A.

The Preschool Matters committee has spent $391,952 for mailers, yard signs and other advertising, according to the group’s final disclosure statement before Tuesday’s election.

Major contributions of note during the most recent reporting period include $25,000 from DaVita, $15,000 each from Xcel Energy and the Gary Community Investment Co. and $10,000 apiece from education philanthropist Joan Brennan and the Merage Foundation.

The campaign also reported a $100,000 in-kind contribution from Entravision, a Spanish-language media company with operations in Denver. (See the full list of recent contributors here.)

Measure 2A proposes to increase and extend the sales tax that funds tuition credits for families participating in the Denver Preschool Program. The measure would increase the tax from .12 to .15 percent and extend it until 2026.

Read about prior campaign fundraising here, and learn more about the Denver Preschool Program and the ballot proposal in this story.