Editing Jim Kenney (section)

== Pre-K and the Soda Tax ==

Kenney's signature first-term achievement was the establishment of Philadelphia's pre-kindergarten program, funded by a tax on sweetened beverages ("soda tax"). The beverage tax, approved by City Council in 2016 after intense debate, generated approximately $80 million annually for pre-K expansion, community schools, and improvements to parks and libraries. The program expanded pre-kindergarten access to thousands of children who would not otherwise have attended, addressing educational inequality from its earliest stages. Supporters hailed the program as transformative; critics questioned the regressive nature of the tax and its impact on beverage sales.<ref name="bloomberg">{{cite journal |last=Bloomberg |first=Michael |title=Philadelphia Shows How to Fund Pre-K |journal=Bloomberg Opinion |date=2016}}</ref>

The soda tax faced legal challenges from the beverage industry, which argued it was unconstitutional. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court upheld the tax in 2018. Industry claims that the tax would devastate beverage sales and eliminate jobs proved exaggerated; while sales declined, the effects were less severe than predicted. The pre-K program, named PHLpreK, enrolled thousands of children in its first years. Kenney viewed the program as his most important legacy—an investment in children that would pay dividends for decades. The soda tax model attracted interest from other cities seeking to fund social programs through consumption taxes.<ref name="inquirer"/>