School Funding Matters

A Baldwin-Wallace College class in public interest research conducted a study of 11 high schools in Northeast Ohio to explore student opinions about education reforms proposed by Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland. Through the auspices of the Baldwin-Wallace College Community Research Institute, the class partnered with KnowledgeWorks Foundation to conduct focus groups of high school classes across four demographic types: urban, inner ring suburban, outer ring suburban and rural. A total of 212 students participated in the study. While this is not a representative sample, but rather a group of case studies analyzed from the perspectives of school type and state school district rating, the findings shed light on student opinion.

• 53% of students said their schools have been fixed or rebuilt in the last five years; however, the condition of their buildings continues to be an area of concern, regardless of school district rating;
• students had a generally positive view about their educational experience across all school types, with 85% of inner ring students and over 70% of outer ring and rural students rating their experience as ‘excellent' or ‘good';
• about half the students participate in extra-curricular activities; high fees ("pay to play") for sports, music, and clubs are a concern;
• opinions about adding "21^st century skills" to the curriculum were mixed, with 52% of students supportive of the idea, and 28% wanting more information about details of the plan;
• opinions were mixed about phasing in ten additional days to the school year; some students agreed that they need the extra time, while others believe they have enough class time to learn what they need in their subjects due to having good teachers;
• students believe the Ohio Graduation Test does not adequately measure what they have learned, ranging from it being too basic, to asking questions that are irrelevant, to the test being intimidating for some students. However, they are generally not in favor of replacing the OGT with the ACT, unless preparatory courses are offered, and passage is not a condition of high school graduation;
• the largest percentage of students, ranging from 60% in rural schools to 90% of outer ring suburban students plan to attend a four year college;
• 50% of urban and 68% of rural students are interested in a scholarship to earn a degree to teach math and/or science; there was less interest in a scholarship to earn a degree to teach in a disadvantaged school, ranging from 10% of rural students to 30% or urban students.

March 2009

Ohioans strongly support many components of Gov. Ted Strickland's recently announced education reform plan, but the governor's office still has a long way to go in raising general awareness of the proposals and building support for how he'd pay for them, according to a new public opinion poll.

The poll, released today by the Cincinnati-based education philanthropy KnowledgeWorks Foundation, found clear support for such measures as all-day kindergarten, a residency program for teachers, lower teacher-student ratios in the early grades, broader graduation requirements, more emphasis on skills such as teamwork and problem-solving, and giving districts more authority to fire underperforming teachers.

When looking at the education reforms as a whole, 68 percent of Ohioans think the proposed changes would improve the quality of public education, while just 22 percent say they would have no impact.

Awareness low

But support comes only after citizens are informed about the proposals, as 70 percent of those polled initially said they did not know enough about the governor's plan to have an opinion.

Despite the strong backing for many education changes, the public is less enthusiastic about some aspects of Strickland's funding approach. A slim majority supports using federal stimulus money to fund education reform, with 51 percent in favor and 43 percent against it. Reducing state spending on other services to provide more funding for education also gets narrow support, with 51% in favor and 41% opposed. Increasing fees for permits, licenses and other services is unpopular by a similar margin, with 52 percent against the idea and 43 percent in favor.

Conversion levies unpopular

Perhaps most troubling for the administration and school districts is public reaction to conversion levies, a new form of school levy that would allow property taxes to rise or fall with property values. A majority of those polled, 66 percent, said they oppose such a change and 64% would not vote for a levy that allowed it.

"What we're seeing is that Ohioans are very receptive to Governor Strickland's efforts to improve public education in Ohio, but that the governor needs to continue working to communicate his plans to the public," said Andrew Benson, director of public policy at KnowledgeWorks. "With the economy weighing heavily on everyone's minds, we're also seeing some real concern about how to pay for proposals the public clearly believes in."

Public education important to economy

Benson noted that while attracting more businesses and jobs to the state was most often ranked as the top priority for government officials, Ohioans overwhelmingly believe that improving public schools is important to the economy - with 91 percent saying it is very or somewhat important.

The public also backs the governor's proposed reforms strongly enough that 8 out of 10 people polled said they should be required of all school districts in the state.

And while six out of 10 Ohioans say they don't know enough about an evidence-based approach to school funding to have an opinion, those who expressed an opinion were supportive of the philosophy that underpins the governor's plan. Nearly 35 percent of respondents favor basing funding on research data and evidence of what works while just 3.9 percent oppose the idea.

Educators, parents unsure

Both a lack of familiarity with the plan and wariness about some proposals extend to what might be considered natural constituencies for the governor's plan - educators and parents of public school children. Those employed in education were better informed than the general public, with 36.5 percent saying they were not able to form an opinion. Just more than a quarter of educators said they approve of the plan, while 33 percent disapprove.

Among public school parents, 62 percent were not well enough informed about the plan to have an opinion, 16 percent approved of it and 19 percent disapproved.

Education reforms get strong support

While Ohioans remain unsure about the plan as a whole, a number of proposals forwarded by the Strickland administration appear to be welcome by the public. Education reforms receiving the strongest support include giving districts more authority to discipline underperforming teachers (86%); contests to recognize academic achievement (79%); emphasizing teamwork, problem-solving and critical thinking (79%); a teacher residency program (75%); low teacher-student ratios in kindergarten through third grade (70%) and all-day kindergarten (65%).

Proposals that direct funding to areas of greatest need also are popular, with the public firmly in favor of scholarships for students seeking degrees to teach subjects with teacher shortages (83%) and for those who agree to teach in underperforming or poor districts (80%). Ohio voters support state funding for summer school teachers to help students falling behind (76%), additional teachers in areas with high poverty (75%) and nurses and family resources to break down non-academic barriers to learning (64%).

Ohioans also appear to want local accountability and control. A distinct majority likes the idea of annual fiscal report cards that show how districts spend money (90%), but only half favor the state taking control of districts with poor academic records that do not implement the proposed policies.

Longer school year, day draw mixed response

Some of the proposals getting the most attention in political and education circles received more mixed responses from the public. Citizens seem unsure about longer school days or school years. Adding 20 days to the school calendar over the next 10 years is opposed by nearly half of Ohioans, although the idea gains support when it is specified that the extension would begin with four more days next year, which causes opposition to drop to 39% percent and support to increase to 56%.

Similarly, Ohio voters were also sensitive to how the proposal was worded to lengthen the school day to offer more learning opportunities. While 53 percent of those polled oppose the idea, opinion is favorable at 58 percent when the question specifies that those opportunities would include tutoring, community service and personal development programs.

Ohioans appear to like broadening graduation requirements to include more than a single measure but are less certain about specific tests. They support adding factors such as community service and senior projects as graduation requirements, 66 percent to 27 percent. Nearly 56 percent favor requiring students to pass end-of-course exams to receive credit while 40 percent oppose that requirement. However, replacing the Ohio Graduation Tests with the ACT college entrance exam, which students would take even if they are not attending college, split the public, with 49 percent in favor and 45 percent against.

Benson, who heads KnowledgeWorks' School Funding Matters initiative, said the poll's implications for Strickland and state legislators are clear. "Ohioans agree with what research has shown us about which education practices actually work, and they are asking leaders to put those practices into place. We urge the governor and General Assembly to keep that mandate in mind as they work to improve the education and school funding proposals in the weeks ahead."

The poll of 807 registered voters was conducted by Fallon Research & Communications March 1-4, 2009, and has a margin of error of +/-3.44%. Summary of findings.