July 18, 2005
Report & Analysis · Data · Other Poll Releases
Georgians support the notion of equality in public schools, even to the extent of redistributing property tax revenue to support public schools in less affluent counties, according to a recent Peach State Poll. Eighty-one percent of Georgians believe that all Georgia schools should have an equal amount of resources and 62 percent would favor redistributing property taxes—from wealthier counties to poorer counties—toward equalizing school resources.
In spite of public support for equal resources for public schools, the public believes that resources alone will not result in an equal quality of education. “Most Georgians believe that school performance is not entirely about funding,” says poll director, Rich Clark. “Georgians are about as likely to cite the home life of students and the fact that some communities just care more about public education than others as the reasons for differences in education quality.” He points out that the public rates high parental involvement as the most important factor in explaining school success and low parental involvement as the most important factor in explaining poor performance in schools.
The Peach State Poll is a quarterly survey of public opinion conducted by the University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government.
Other Peach State Poll results:
* A large majority of the public (73 percent) believes that the state should bear the primary cost for public education, as opposed to local communities (11 percent) or the parents of students (13 percent).
* Parents of public school children give public schools a higher average grade (average grade of B-) than do members of the public without children in the system (average grade of C).
* Forty-six percent of the public believes that standardized tests are not a good measure of achievement, while 39 percent say that they are a good measure. In addition, 9 percent say that standardized tests are not a good measure but are the best measure we have.
* While the vast majority of the general public are not aware of the court challenge brought by rural school districts demanding a higher level of state funding, 87 percent, when told about the case, say that the state has an obligation to respond to the concerns of these schools.
The data presented in this report are taken from a Peach State Poll conducted by the Carl Vinson Institute of Government between April 28 and May 7, 2005. The poll included 803 telephone interviews of randomly selected adults in Georgia. For a sample of this size, the margin of error at the 95 percent confidence level is +/-3.5 percent.
The Carl Vinson Institute of Government, a public service and outreach unit of the University of Georgia, has as part of its mission to provide policymakers with systematic, objective research to inform policy decisions. In accordance with that mission, the Peach State Poll aims to give voice to the public on important policy matters and issues pertaining to political, social, and economic life in Georgia.
