SPECIAL ISSUE: WHAT VERMONTERS THINK ABOUT SCHOOLS
AND SCHOOL CHOICE—POLL RESULTS

The full Vermont survey results can be found here

A plurality of Vermonters believe their public schools are "good or excellent," but nearly nine out of ten would send their children to private, charter, or virtual schools, or educate their children in a home school setting. Nearly 70 percent of Vermonters believe public school funding is either "too high" or "about right."

These and other findings are contained in a public opinion survey conducted by Strategic Vision and sponsored by Vermonters for Better Education and the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice, an Indianapolis-based non-profit organization. 

The survey found majority support for school choice which is consistent with a poll conducted ten years ago for Vermont Public Radio showing support even for money following the child to religious schools. That 1999 Macro poll for VPR asked: "Should parents be allowed to use tax dollars to send their children to religious schools?"  A majority of respondents answered yes (55 percent) with only 34 percent saying "no."  The current Strategic Vision poll asked a similar question and found 59 percent in support.

Forty-three percent of respondents in the Strategic Vision survey believe the public school system in Vermont is good or excellent while 41 percent rated the public school system as poor or fair.  Fifteen percent were undecided.  This fairly even split on quality of education didn't keep respondents from wanting more choices in education, however.

"This survey just confirms what most people already recognize—children need to be in schools that fit their unique educational needs whether that be at a public school, a private school, or at home." says Retta Dunlap, executive director of Vermonters for Better Education. "Vermonters might like their public schools, but still recognize that each child is different, with different needs." 

When asked "if it were your decision and you could select any type of school, what type of school would you select in order the obtain the best education for your child," here's how Vermonters responded: 

44 percent selected private schools 
26 percent selected charter schools 
17 percent selected home schooling 
11 percent selected regular public schools 
2 percent selected virtual schools 

School choice is not a partisan issue among Vermont citizens.  The survey results indicate general agreement among Democrats, Republicans, and Independents, with shared common views on school choice policies.  High levels of familiarity and support exist for town tuitioning, school vouchers, tax-credit scholarships, and universal eligibility of scholarships.

Fifty-nine percent of Vermont's likely voters support school vouchers.  Nearly three of five voters say they are favorable toward a school voucher approach for helping families pay for their child's school tuition. 

Forty-four percent rated the schools as good or excellent, while 41 percent rated Vermont public schools as poor or fair, with 15 percent undecided. Nearly half (47%) said that lack of accountability was the biggest challenge confronting the public schools, followed by poor student discipline and self-control (19%). 

Sixty-six percent say the state's level of public school funding is "about right" or "too high," and 34 percent said the funding was "too low." 

Nearly a third of respondents (32%) said that unions have the greatest influence on Vermont's public school system, followed by state government (21%) and teachers (18%) 

Vermont residents are aware of and indicate relatively high levels of support for new school models such as charter schools, and virtual schools. Sixty-four percent are very or somewhat familiar with Vermont's town tuitioning system, with the same percentage either strongly or somewhat in favor. Fifty-nine percent are very or somewhat familiar with charter schools, with 61 percent strongly or somewhat in favor the concept.  Thirty-six percent are familiar with virtual or cyber schools. 

The statistically representative poll of 1,200 likely Vermont voters was conducted in October by Strategic Vision, an Atlanta-based public affairs agency whose polls have been used by Newsweek, Time Magazine, BBC, ABC News, and USA Today among others. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Vermonters for Better Education is a nonprofit, nonpartisian education reform organization founded in 1999 and dedicated to parent- and child-centered education reform. VBE produces an occasional e-newsletter for 2,000 subscribers and produces publications on education issues in Vermont. 

The Indianapolis-based Friedman Foundation is a non-profit organization established in 1996. The origins of the foundation lie in Milton and Rose Friedman's belief that  the best way to improve the quality of education is to enable all parents to have a truly free choice of the schools that their children attend. The Friedman Foundation works to build upon this vision clarify its meaning to the general public and amplify the national call for true education reform through school choice.

The full Vermont survey results can be found on this website, and at www.friedmanfoundation.org along with results from other states.

We do!  Please consider a gift to Vermonters for Better Education, the publisher of the weekly Vermont Education Report, Vermont's ONLY continual source of education news. Send donations to: VBE, PO Box 255, Woodbury, VT 05681. VBE is a nonprofit organization and contributions are tax-deductible.

The VERMONT EDUCATION REPORT is published by Vermonters for Better Education PO Box 255, Woodbury, VT 05681 - 802-472-5491. The Vermont Education Report may be reprinted with the editor's permission. For more information contact: VBE@comcast.net or visit us on the web: http://www.schoolreport.com

VERMONTERS FOR BETTER EDUCATION is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization whose mission is to enlist parents and the public at large in achieving quality educational opportunities for all the children of Vermont by monitoring the state of education in Vermont; promoting the value of educational freedoms for all parents; and giving parents the evaluative tools with which to identify excellence.

Retta Dunlap, executive director
VBE@comcast.net