Education Leading Concern Of State Voters, Survey Says

Crime and safety, job security, health care and other vexing problems are on our minds as we shop for a new crop of political leaders. But education tops Washington voters’ list of concerns.

A survey of 556 state voters conducted for The Associated Press and 12 newspapers around the state reflects both deep support and deep concern for the public schools.

The quality of public education in Washington state has deteriorated in the last four years, said a majority of voters surveyed.

About 58 percent agreed with that statement; less than 30 percent disagreed. Other voters interviewed about the poll results said they fear that schools have become crowded, scary, cookie-cutter places of uneven quality rather than the citadels of achievement the next generation requires.

Complaints run the gamut from class size and less emphasis on academic basics, to use of classroom movies as baby sitters and even the loss of penmanship lessons.

“The kids don’t even seem to go to school these days,” said Nancy Mills, a former librarian who lives in Hillyard. “I don’t think they emphasize basics enough. I don’t think the kids even feel safe at school.”

“I don’t think their education nowadays is worth a damn,” summarized Verna Kloehn, Kennewick, a retired barber.

But other voters said schools are struggling under a heavy burden and are showing some spark of improvement, most notably in the area of computers and high technology.

“Teachers in public education are trying to be mother, father, social worker, teacher, legal enforcer - we are asking teachers to do too much,” said Judith Jenkins Harlin, 42, Redmond, a teacher who is staying home to raise her family.

Nearly two-thirds of the respondents in the Mood of Washington survey said public schools were underfunded. Among people interviewed about the poll results, some - though not all - volunteered that they’d even pay more taxes if the cash went straight to Washington classrooms.

“I’d be willing to pay more in taxes because you’ve got to have a good educational system,” said Gerald V. Barnett, 38, a Spokane Valley machinist. “We need more programs to get dropouts back in school.”

The poll also found that candidates for governor had better pay attention - that their views on education will be the single most important criteria when voters decide whom to vote for.

Asked to rank their election-year concerns, a whopping 88 percent said education is either important or very important.

Only two other issues were in the same league - crime and the economy - and experts said all three are related, with education seen as society’s best hope for readying people for family-wage jobs and to deter them from crime and poverty.

As an election issue, economic concerns ranked second in the poll, listed by about 84 percent of the voters as either important or very important. Close behind was crime, cited by 81 percent.

Government spending was listed as an important issue by about 76 percent, followed by welfare reform, at about 72 percent.

Health care was listed by about 69 percent, a candidate’s moral character by 68 percent, the ability of a candidate to work with the opposition by 65 percent, the environment by about 62 percent, property rights by 58 percent, illegal immigration by about 52 percent, and gun control by about 51 percent.

Less important were abortion and gay rights, two hot-button topics that have been defining issues for some voters at both ends of the political spectrum - but apparently not with the broad electorate.

The telephone survey, taken over four days last month by students at Washington State University under the supervision of university researchers, carried a margin of error of less than plus or minus 4.3 percentage points.

Both political parties and some candidates said their private polls reflect the same three top issues, with education on top.

“People are looking toward the future and have concerns about their kids,” said Democratic state Sen. Nita Rinehart, one of several gubernatorial candidates focusing on an education platform. “People know the only way their kids will be successful is with a good education. Government can’t promise job security, but it can provide skill security.”