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Poll finds support for vouchers and higher school funding in California

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Donald Trump’s plans to reform education have been routinely described as radical, but one key feature — taxpayer-funded vouchers — may find some unlikely supporters: California voters.

About 60% of adults and 66% of public-school parents in a new poll said they favored vouchers that parents could use for their children’s education at any public, private, or parochial school. Republicans (67%) were more likely than independents (56%) and far more likely than Democrats (46%) to hold that view. Across racial and ethnic groups, 73% of African Americans, 69% of Latinos, 56% of Asians and 51% of whites supported vouchers.

The poll results were released Wednesday by the Public Policy Institute of California.

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Voters also expressed positions more traditionally associated with notions of a politically liberal and anti-Trump California.

Current levels of school funding are inadequate according to most adults (64%), likely voters (66%) and public school parents (69%).

A supermajority wants the immigration status of students and their families to remain confidential (73%). And nearly two-thirds would like schools to serve as “sanctuary safe zones,” protecting students who are in the country illegally and their families from federal immigration enforcement efforts.

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Paradoxically, in light of the support for vouchers, a majority of adults (54%) give their local schools a grade of A or B. And the number was higher (62%) for public-school parents.

There’s frequently a political gulf between polling numbers on general attitudes and viewpoints shaped in the context of a looming election. For that reason, it’s difficult to predict whether the voucher support would hold in the face of a campaign opposing it.

A 2000 measure to legalize vouchers in California was rejected by 71% of voters. Each side spent more than $30 million in the campaign. California voters also rejected a voucher proposal in 1993.

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The poll results are based on a survey of 1,705 California adult residents interviewed on land lines and cellphones. Interviews took place from April 2 through 11, in English and Spanish. The estimated margin of error is 3.2%.

To read the article in Spanish, click here

howard.blume@latimes.com

@howardblume

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