Amid continued concern over incidences of school violence, a majority of Virginians feel the schools in their community are safe, according to a new Commonwealth Poll released last week by Virginia Commonwealth University’s Commonwealth Educational Policy Institute in the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs.
The poll found 80 percent of respondents indicated their schools were safe, including 29 percent who said they were very safe, while 17 percent felt their schools were not very or not at all safe. Respondents from the northern and western regions of the state were more likely to say their schools were very safe (38 percent and 34 percent) compared to those in the south central and Tidewater regions (23 percent and 16 percent.)
Respondents were also asked their opinion of approaches to addressing issues of school safety, specifically whether to use additional security measures or the mental health system. A majority (54 percent) agreed that additional security measures should be used to address school safety. About a quarter of respondents (27 percent) thought that safety issues should be addressed through the mental health system. Ten percent offered that both approaches should be used. There were regional differences regarding which approach to use, with respondents from the northwestern and western regions significantly more likely to think additional security measures should be employed, each with 64 percent. Respondents from the south central and northern regions were more likely to think that the mental health system should be used, with 37 percent supporting that option.
”While, overall, Virginians feel schools in their community are safe, they think that additional security measures should be used to address issues of school safety,” said William C. Bosher Jr., executive director, Commonwealth Educational Policy Institute and distinguished professor of public policy in the Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs.
In yet another year of concerns over budget balancing, Virginians remain strongly supportive of funding for public schools. Sixty-five percent of Virginians say that Virginia schools do not have enough funds to meet their needs, while 27 percent say schools have enough funding now. Respondents are also concerned about how funding affects quality. Three-quarters of respondents (75 percent) said that the amount of funding affects quality a great deal or quite a lot, which is an increase of 8 percent from last year.
Virginians are willing to pay more in taxes to support school funding levels. Seven-in-ten respondents (70 percent) said they would be willing to pay more in taxes to keep public schools funded at the current level and 59 percent are willing to pay more so that school funding can be increased. Also, a majority of Virginians (57 percent) believe that spending to improve the education system is a more important governmental priority than reducing the deficit. While overall support is strong, age and partisan differences exist, with those under the age of 45 and Democrats being more likely to see educational spending as a higher priority and to be willing to pay.
“Even in tough budgetary times Virginians show consistent support for education funding and are willing to pay for it,” said Farrah Stone Graham, Ph.D., assistant professor in the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs and director of the survey.
Job tenure is a concept unique to the educational sector. What does the public think about offering tenure to teachers? A plurality of respondents, 47 percent, oppose offering tenure, while 41 percent support it and 13 percent are undecided. School employees and retirees are more likely than other state residents to favor tenure, with 54 percent supporting. Age also played a role with 50 percent of respondents under the age of 35 being in favor of offering tenure. Partisan differences exist as well with 46 percent of Democrats favoring tenure, while only 37 percent of Independents and 37 percent of Republicans do.
The Commonwealth Education Poll was conducted by landline and cell telephone from Dec. 27, 2013, to Jan. 3, 2014, with a random sample of 803 adults in Virginia. The margin of error for the poll is plus or minus 4.5 percentage points. This poll is conducted annually by VCU’s Commonwealth Educational Policy Institute (CEPI).
Other survey findings:
· Willingness to Pay for Schools and Other State Programs. Public schools and mental health services top the list of programs that Virginians are willing to support with increased tax dollars in order to keep funding levels stable but a majority of Virginians were willing to pay more for a number of programs. Sixty-two percent say they would pay more in taxes to keep programs for aid to low-income families at current levels. Fewer say the same about transportation (52 percent) and higher education funding (49 percent). About a fifth of state residents (21 percent) are willing to pay more to keep funding for prisons at current levels.
For a PDF of the 30-page report including complete question wording and detailed tables of results see http://cepi.vcu.edu/publicatio
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