Lowman
S. Henry
Chairman
Robert W.
Keibler
Vice Chairman
Jane R. Gordon
Secretary/Treasurer
Board Members
Jerry Bowyer
Allegheny Institute
James Canova
Canova Electric
LeGree S.
Daniels
U.S. Postal Governor
Joseph Geiger
PA Assoc. of Non
Profit Organizations
Hilary Holste
PPG Industries
Charles L.
Huston, III
Huston Foundation
Doris O'Donnell
Allegheny Foundation
Albert Paschall
King of Prussia
Chamber of Commerce
James Trammell
Sun Company, Inc.
__________
Survey Consultant
Albert E. Sindlinger
Sindlinger & Company
Focus Group Moderator
Charles L. Kennedy
Penn State University
__________
June 14, 1999
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Lowman S. Henry / (717) 671-0776
PHILLY VOTERS WANT SCHOOL
CHOICE
Pulse
Poll finds 72% Support Choice Among Public Schools
Harrisburg,
PA -- A Lincoln Institute APulse
Poll conducted in the City of Philadelphia earlier this month found 72%
of voters support giving parents the right to choose which public
school their children should attend.
Support for school choice was strongest among black voters, 74% of
whom said they wanted the option of choosing where their children
attend schools, 70% of white voters said they back school choice.
Philadelphia Republican voters support school choice by a
78% to 15% margin. Sixty-nine
percent of Democrats said they want school choice rights, while
23% voiced opposition.
When the question was expanded to give parents the right to choose
among public AND private schools, 66% continued to support school
choice. Support for
public and private school choice was stronger among white voters,
68% of whom support extending choice to private schools, while 63%
of black voters approved of including private schools among school
choice options.
Extending school choice to faith-based schools also received
support from a majority of the voters surveyed.
In answer to the question: Do
you favor or oppose a voucher system where by parents would get
money from the government to send their children to any school of
their choice? 56% of voters said they would favor such a
system compared to 36% who were in opposition.
Voters
in the survey clearly feel the problems being experienced by City
of Philadelphia schools will not be solved by money alone, said
Lowman Henry, Chairman of the Lincoln Institute.
Only
15% of the voters surveyed felt a lack of money was the problem
while 40% said the schools are poorly run.
Henry
said the school choice findings were consistent with past survey
questions on the issue asked by the Lincoln Institute.
A September 1998 survey found 59% of voters in Cumberland,
Dauphin and York counties supported giving parents the right to send
their children to public, private or parochial schools.
In a poll conducted in 11 southwestern Pennsylvania counties
(including Allegheny) in September of 1997, 69% said they supported
a school choice plan giving parents the options of public, private
or religious schools.
Among
other finding in the Philadelphia poll:
***
Seventy-seven percent feel the state government should pay a
greater share of local
education costs.
***
When it comes to teacher salaries, 13% said public school
teachers are paid too much, 33%
said they are paid about the right amount, 37% said
their pay is too low.
***
Fourteen percent said too much money is being spent on public
education in Pennsylvania
today, 18% said about the right amount is being spent to educate
students, and 56% said not enough money is being spent on public
education.
The
Pulse Poll of voters in the City of Philadelphia was conducted on
June 3 and June 7, 1999 for the Lincoln Institute of Public Opinion
Research, Inc. by Precision Marketing, Inc. of Easton, Pennsylvania.
A total of 316 voters were surveyed.
The poll has a margin of error of +/-5.5% at a 95% confidence
level.
The
Lincoln Institute in a Harrisburg-based non-profit educational
foundation which conducts public opinion research on key statewide
and local public policy issues.
