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Public Schools
The ratings of local public schools in Orange County
continue to rise dramatically. Twenty percent give their local public
schools excellent ratings, 37% say they are good, 23% say fair and 10%
rate them as poor. The number giving excellent or good ratings has increased
by seven points since last year (50% to 57%) and by a sizeable 15 points
in just two years (42% to 57%). Graph:
Local Public School Ratings: Trends Over Time (Excellent/good ratings)
Parents with children in the public schools are even
more likely to give the local schools excellent or good ratings (69%).
Schools draw more excellent or good ratings in South County than in
North County (68% vs. 52%). Non-Hispanic whites, Latinos and Asians
give similar ratings to the local public schools (56% vs. 56% vs. 59%).
Those with household incomes of $80,000 or more are much more likely
to give their local public schools excellent or good ratings than are
those earning less than $36,000 (65% vs. 50%).
We asked about a number of school reforms. The elimination of social
promotions and requiring that students meet specified academic standards
before they are promoted to the next grade has overwhelming support
(80%). This measure, which was recently signed into law by Gov. Pete
Wilson, is supported across all age groups, incomes, political parties,
county regions and racial and ethnic groups. Eighty-one percent of parents
with children in the public schools favor an end to social promotions.
Graph:
Public School Taxes and Reforms
Nearly six in 10 residents favor providing parents with tax-supported
vouchers to send their children to any public, private or parochial
school they choose, while one in three is opposed. Among parents with
children in the public schools, 62% favor vouchers. The school voucher
proposal has stronger support among Republicans than Democrats (63%
vs. 50%). Non-Hispanic whites are less favorable to vouchers than are
Latinos and Asians (57% vs. 71% vs. 62%). A bare majority of Orange
County residents (50%) favor changing the vote needed to pass local
school construction bonds from the two-thirds "super-majority" to a
simple majority, while 41% are opposed. Even among parents with children
in the public schools, only 54% are in favor of lowering the vote requirement.
Non-Hispanic whites show less support than do Latinos and Asians (48%
vs. 57% vs. 54%). Democrats favor this proposal, while Republicans do
not (54% vs. 44%). Last year, 43% favored this proposal. When asked
how they would respond if their local schools said they needed much
more money, 45% say they would vote to raise local taxes for this purpose,
while 50% would be opposed. These results are the same as last year's
survey. By a narrow margin, those with children in the public schools
favor a tax increase (50%). Among Republicans, 58% oppose a tax increase
for local schools, while 55% of Democrats are in favor. Non-Hispanic
whites are less in favor of a tax hike for local schools than are Latinos
or Asians (42% vs. 53% vs. 48%). Residents 55 and older express less
support than do younger people (39% vs. 47%). In all demographic groups,
support falls well short of the two-thirds vote that is needed to pass
a local tax increase.
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