Californians want their public schools protected from state budget cuts and are willing to tax the rich to make that happen. But despite the threat of schools taking a beating in next year's state budget, residents are sharply divided over whether they would support higher taxes for themselves, according to a statewide poll released late Wednesday.
The poll by the Public Policy Institute of California also turned up some interesting divisions among Californians -- by region, by political party, and by race and ethnicity.
Residents of Orange and San Diego counties were the happiest with their public schools, while residents of the San Francisco Bay Area were the grumpiest. Latinos and immigrants were far more likely than others to view public schools as primarily a springboard to college. And, not surprisingly, Democrats were far more likely than Republicans to support new taxes to pay for public schools.
The survey also found the public to be generally worried about the state of public schools and deeply dissatisfied with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Legislature for their stewardship.
"I think today's report is very bad news for the governor," said Bruce Fuller, a professor of education and public policy at UC Berkeley and director of Policy Analysis for California Education. "It's not surprising that Californians would be confused about the tax issue, because this governor is politically weak, and he's weak because he isn't showing bold leadership."
Aaron McLear, Schwarzenegger's press secretary, countered that Fuller "would be hard-pressed to find anyone who's showing more leadership on education right now." He said the governor shares voters' concerns about cuts to education, but rejects tax increases to solve the problem.
"And that's why he's talking about budget reform: so we don't put the schools through this roller coaster of inconsistent funding year after year, and we're able to provide some stability," McLear said.
Education ranked as the second most important issue facing the state, well behind the sour economy but slightly ahead of immigration and gasoline prices.
Eighty percent of respondents said the quality of schools was a problem, and just over half said it was a big problem. Nearly 60% said the school system needs major changes.
More than half of those polled said they disapproved of Schwarzenegger's handling of education, and 61% disapproved of the Legislature.
