(The Center Square) – Top of mind for American taxpayers is the efficacy of their children’s schooling.
At 25%, preparing students for college or the workforce was the number one issue for respondents to The Center Square’s Voters’ Voice poll, including 28% of Republicans and 22% of Democrats.
Analyst David Byler of Noble Predictive Insights says that he expects “bread and butter” issues like this to top the list. What’s surprising is that the number isn’t higher, he added.
That’s because concern around the Trump administration’s dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education pulled focus from everyday concerns, taking the top spot for 20% of voters including 15% of Republicans and 27% of Democrats.
“What people really want more than anything else from the education system is for it to function,” said Byler.
Concerns that it hasn’t been functioning efficiently have largely fueled the criticism of the Department of Education that Republican officials point to in gutting the agency.
On March 11, Education Secretary and professional wrestling mogul Linda McMahon announced the department would be letting go of about 50% of its employees.
“I appreciate the work of the dedicated public servants and their contributions to the Department. This is a significant step toward restoring the greatness of the United States education system,” said McMahon.
Proponents of the department’s work, however, say the system’s weak points need more, not less, support.
A group of 11 Democratic U.S. senators headed by Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts responded to the reduction in force with a letter calling for Acting Inspector General of the Office of Education, René L. Rocque, to investigate the issue.
“Decimating the Department of Education’s abilities to administer financial aid, investigate civil rights violations, conduct research on educational outcomes, and oversee the use of federal education grants threatens to have disastrous consequences for American students, teachers, and families,” they wrote.
About 14% of respondents, including 12% of Republicans and 15% of Democrats, said that a top priority was “making sure federal dollars go directly to schools,” indicating concern around how the federal government is currently allocating its education funds.
While McMahon says the change “reflects the Department of Education’s commitment to efficiency, accountability, and ensuring that resources are directed where they matter most: to students, parents, and teachers,” 44% of respondents said that the balance between federal, state, and parental power in education was getting worse.
Culture war issues like participation of trans athletes in school sports proved less important to voters, despite outsized media attention.
Byler said that when it comes to the question of gender in sports, Republicans are in step with public opinion, making it a politically attractive talking point, even if it doesn’t rank high among taxpayer priorities.
Issues of school choice and homeschooling, on the other hand, put up lower numbers, but those numbers include people with a lot of “skin in the game,” said Byler.
When it comes to families for whom public school options aren’t a good fit, the freedom to seek out or create affordable alternatives is paramount. That’s why Byler says “you get a very concentrated, very intense debate.”
For most on both ends of the political spectrum, a functioning education system should be able to handle the higher order concern of preparing a majority of students for their futures while maintaining the capacity to look out for the minority of students who may need special consideration to receive a fair education.
It’s a matter of “walking and chewing gum at the same time,” said Byler.
The poll was conducted April 15-18 by Noble Predictive Insights, surveyed 1,187 Democrats; 1,089 Republicans; and 251 non-leaning Independents. The poll has a +/- 2.0% margin of error. It is one of only six national tracking polls in the United States.
