Representatives from the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center (PBPC) and Public Citizens for Children and Youth (PCCY) held a teleconference this afternoon to reveal the results of a poll they conducted through Lake Research. Sharon Ward, Director of PBPC, explained that the poll gauged the public’s attitude towards the public education funding cuts that were enacted two years ago.

“In Harrisburg, public education funding is not drawing the same attention as pension reform, liquor privatization, or transportation,” said Ward. “We conducted this poll because we want lawmakers to know the public mood as they enter into budget negotiations.”

Celinda Lake, President of Lake Research, said that the survey was conducted among 604 individuals who are likely voters in the 2014 general election. Lake explained that funding for public education is a top issue among the polled voters and that people care about schools whether they have school-aged children or not.

Lake explained that seven issues were presented to the poll respondents: education, economic funding and jobs, health care, taxes, infrastructure funding, crime, and environment. Lake said that 28 percent of respondents listed education as the issue most important to them.

Donna Cooper, Executive Director of PCCY, said that legislators are out of step with the public because the public does not want to focus on pensions and transportation funding. “More actions on school funding would put legislators in line with what voters want to see happen,” explained Cooper.

“Voters are supportive of new revenue for the state to fund education even if it includes raising their own taxes,” stated Lake. She said that the poll argued both for and against returning the funding to public education and the argument for restoring funding beat the argument against by 25 percent.

Cooper said that she is surprised with the number of voters who are willing to “step up to the plate” in regards to paying higher taxes for school funding in a state whose citizens are often squeamish about taxes.

Lake said that the new “war on women” is cutting education. She explained that female voters were extremely concerned with the lack of funding for public education. “Women voters were particularly affected,” said Lake. “They overwhelmingly said they would increase taxes on themselves to ease the deficit in public education funding.”

“A majority of voters are willing to pay more in some form or another in order to restore the education funding cuts,” said Ward. “The poll showed that the public is not buying into the argument made by the administration that we cannot afford to restore the funding that was temporarily provided by the federal stimulus.”

Ward described a plan set forth by Sen. Jake Corman (R-Centre) that would delay the phasing out of the Capital Stock and Franchise Tax. “The public wants to go further and see those funds from the tax go specifically towards education,” stated Ward.

“There is a strong sense that we have choices but the General Assembly and administration are not putting on the table the choices that voters want,” said Cooper. “If we stopped phasing out the Capitol Stock and Franchise Tax and put that money towards schools, voters would respond positively to that.”

When asked if the poll respondents were frustrated with the administration itself, Cooper explained that the poll did not necessarily ask that question but that there is a great deal of public data that shows that the public is frustrated with the governor and his administration.

FYI by PLS – June 25, 2013 – Read article online (full content not available to non-subscribers – click here for a PDF)

Message from PCCY:

Click here to read a joint statement from PCCY and Pennsylvania Budget & Policy Center

Check out the results of the poll here

Click here to read a memo from Lake Research Partners