Despite increases in state spending on K–12 education, most Californians say state funding for their local public schools is inadequate. And most support an extension of the Proposition 30 tax increase on higher incomes, as well as state and local school bonds. These are among the key findings in PPIC’s 12th annual survey on Californians and education that were presented in Sacramento last week by Lunna Lopes, survey research associate.
Lopes said that concerns about the quality of education are at a record-low 40 percent, and less than a third of Californians say that teacher quality is a big problem. Concern about a teacher shortage is higher, with a majority calling it a big problem.
Among the other findings discussed:
- There are partisan divisions on Common Core, but public school parents are confident that it will help students be college ready and develop critical thinking skills.
- Few Californians have heard about Local Control Funding Formula, but when presented with a short description of the policy, most are supportive.
- Californians see preschool as important for K–12 success and most prefer to spend some of the state budget surplus on early childhood education programs.