San Antonio City Council Budget Work Session – September 1, 2026
San Antonio City Council Budget Work Session – September 1, 2026
The San Antonio City Council held a budget work session on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, from 2:05 p.m. to 4:22 p.m. The meeting included two major agenda items: an update on Pre-K 4 SA's reauthorization plan for the November ballot, and a presentation of the Mayor's Commission on Voting's final report. No votes were taken; the session served as a discussion and briefing for council members.
Discussion Items
Pre-K 4 SA Reauthorization Update
Dr. Sarah Bray, Pre-K 4 SA's leader, presented the program's results and plans if reauthorized. She highlighted that brain science shows one million neural synapses form per second in the first year of life. Nobel Laureate James Heckman's research found a 7% annual ROI for high-quality preschool for 4- and 5-year-olds, and 13.7% for programs starting at ages 0–3. Pre-K 4 SA has returned over $59 million in community benefits in its first eight years. Since 2012, the program has served about 2,000 children directly and 5,000 through partner providers, with 80% of seats going to low-income families. The proposed reauthorization would expand access for children under 3, increase quality through provider support and teacher credentialing, and improve affordability via public-private cost-sharing models. Dr. Bray noted that only 20% of eligible 3-year-olds in Bexar County are enrolled in public pre-K, and Texas loses $9.3 billion annually in productivity due to lack of reliable child care. The city attorney reminded council not to advocate for or against the proposition, which will appear on the November 2026 ballot.
Council members expressed support for the program and asked detailed questions. Councilmember Mickey Rodriguez (District 2) praised the results and asked about expanding infant/toddler care to all four campuses and funding for non-traditional hours. Dr. Bray responded that expansion would depend on need and that pilots are underway. Councilmember Messi Gonzalez (District 5) tied pre-K to workforce development and noted 845,000 women have left the workforce due to caregiving pressures. Councilmember Galvan (District 5) asked about public-private models and coordination with school districts; Dr. Bray described tri-share models and ongoing partnerships with ISDs. Councilmember Aldrete Gavito (District 9) raised the cost per child ($31,000) and questioned scope creep; Dr. Bray clarified that the budget covers direct instruction, partner support, family services, and professional learning, and that per-hour costs are lower than comparable programs. Councilmember Corr (District 1) requested a detailed voter guide and highlighted that Texas ranks 43rd in per-pupil spending. Councilmember Mungia (District 4) asked about supporting children with special needs and improving teacher benefits. Dr. Bray said reauthorization would allow long-term planning for inclusive classrooms and benefit pooling.
Mayor's Commission on Voting Report
Commission members Kathy Vale, Jill Torbert, and facilitator Drew Galloway presented nine recommendations to improve voter participation and civic engagement. Vale noted that Bexar County has 153,000 registered voters on the suspension list—the highest percentage in Texas. In the 2025 municipal election, only 9.2% of registered voters cast ballots, with the lowest turnout among 18–29 year olds. The commission recommended creating a Civic Engagement Coordination Round Table (Recommendation 3), setting annual civic participation goals (Recommendation 6), establishing a centralized voting information hub (Recommendation 8), and creating an Office of Civic Participation (Recommendation 1). Galloway emphasized that the office would elevate existing work and align city departments. The report was released July 8, 2026.
Councilmember White (District 8) criticized the process, noting the commission was formed without council approval and that the city's Communications & Engagement (C&E) department already handles civic outreach with three employees. He argued that creating a new office would duplicate efforts and cost money, especially amid a $158 million budget deficit. Councilmember Galvan (District 5) expressed support for the recommendations, particularly the round table and information hub, and suggested partnering with the county. Councilmember Messi Gonzalez (District 5) supported the work and asked about making TVSA meetings available on streaming services. Councilmember Mungia (District 4) noted low turnout in his district and highlighted the problem of college students being placed on the suspension list due to address issues. Councilmember Via Gran (District 3) opposed Recommendation 1 but supported a regional, city-county round table. Councilmember Corr (District 1) emphasized direct community engagement and cited examples of block walking and surveys. Mayor Jones defended the commission's creation, stating the original motion would have delayed work too long given upcoming election threats.
Key Outcomes
- No formal votes were taken on either agenda item.
- Pre-K 4 SA will release a voter guide in the coming weeks to detail the reauthorization proposal.
- The Mayor's Commission on Voting report will be used to inform future civic engagement efforts; the mayor indicated that council feedback will guide next steps, with some recommendations possibly implemented quickly.
- Council members expressed interest in further B session discussions on both topics.
Meeting Transcript
Good afternoon. The time is now 2.05 p.m. on Tuesday, September 1st, 2026, and the City of San Antonio budget work session is called to order. Madam Clerk, please call roll. Councilmember Corr. Councilmember Mickey Rodriguez. Councilmember Via Gran. Council. I can hear her, but I cannot see her. Councilmember Mughia. There she is. Councilmember Castillo. Councilmember Galvani. Here. Councilmember Aldarete Gavito. Here. Councilmember Mesa Gonzalez. President. Councilmember Spears. Here. Councilmember White. Mayor Jones. Here. Mayor we have Quorum. Great. Thanks, Madam Clerk. So we've got two items this afternoon, pre-K for essay and then a report from members of the Mayor's Commission on Voting. Eric, over to you, please. Thank you, Mayor. We'll start off with Sarah Bray, Dr. Bray, who will give the council an update on the plan for the pre-K for essay as it relates to the proposition before the voters later on in November. Andy, do you want to kind of weigh in here on the front end? Thank you, Eric. I appreciate that. We are by state law prohibited from using city resources in time to advocate either for or against the proposition. So again, I would counsel, I want uh ask the council in their remarks, in their questions, uh, not to advocate for the proposition either for and against, uh, either directly or by the nature and scope of your comments, uh not lead to the conclusion that you are advocating for or against. Thank you, Eric. Thank you, Andy. Good afternoon, Mayor and City Council. Thank you for your time today. This briefing is in follow-up to the August 13th meeting during which you um authorized pre-K for SA's reauthorization to be placed on the November election. Since that meeting, the pre-K for SA staff has been working on what we call the promise to voters, and that is what will um work will we do if the uh program is reauthorized. Um we'll I want to share with you a little bit about the science and the thinking behind pre-K for SA and why it was first established, the results we've delivered since 2012 when we are first authorized, where the gaps in the early learning system still exist, and where we see pre-K for SA headed in the coming years. Pre-K for SA began with a bold vision to change the education and workforce trajectories in San Antonio through high-quality early education. That's not a slogan, that's actually the design principle of pre-K for SA. Every decision we make, from whom we serve, where we open classrooms to how we work with families gets measured against two questions. Is it high quality and is it moving the needle for San Antonio? So why the early childhood or why the brain power task force um landed on early learning is um the reason is simple because both brain science and economic research unambiguously say the same thing. Access to high quality early learning benefits not just children and families, but entire communities. So let's start with what the brain research says.
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