Poll: N.J. voters say not enough state money spent on education | Philadelphia Inquirer | 11/12/2010

Poll: N.J. voters say not enough state money spent on education

By Adrienne Lu

Inquirer Trenton Bureau

Ninety-nine percent of New Jersey voters believe the state's budget problems are very serious or somewhat serious, according to a recent Quinnipiac University poll. But recession-weary voters say the state should spend more on education.

In a Rutgers-Eagleton Poll released this week, 59 percent of registered voters who responded said not enough was being spent on education, while 15 percent said too much was being spent.

"The spending results are consistent with our earlier polling," said David Redlawsk, director of the poll. "New Jerseyans generally support their schools and want to see them better funded, even while they want the state to cut back on funding in other areas."

That support for education is not unconditional, however. In the Rutgers poll, 90 percent said teachers should be tested for reading and math proficiency, and 70 percent said tenure was a "barrier to eliminating bad teachers." Still, 63 percent said they opposed basing a teacher's salary on test scores.

Twenty-six percent of the parents of school-age children among the respondents said budgets were the bigges

Friday, November 12, 2010

Poll: N.J. voters say not enough state money spent on education | Philadelphia Inquirer | 11/12/2010

Poll: N.J. voters say not enough state money spent on education