Finance Questions: Section 2

FINANCE and Funding
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Section 2: FINANCES AND FUNDING

Per-Pupil Costs
Question 1: Do you happen to know what it costs per child, per school year, in the local public schools? How much? (Asked in: 1979.)
[Code: 147-FinPX-1]

Question 2: It costs taxpayers about $2 an hour for each student for each class he or she attends - or about $10 for each school day. Are these figures higher, lower, or about the same as what you had thought? (Asked in: 1980.)
[Code: 148-FinPX-2]

Quality Related to Funds
Question 3: In your opinion, is the quality of the public schools related to the amount of money spent on students in these schools, or not? (Asked in: 1998.)
[Code: 149-FinQX-3]

Sources of Funding/Revenues
Question 4: It has been suggested that state taxes be increased for everyone in order to let the state government pay a greater share of school expense and to reduce local property taxes. Would you favor an increase in state taxes so that real estate taxes could be lowered on local property? (Asked in: 1971, 1972, 1978.)
[Code: 155-FinSX-4]

Question 5: It has been suggested that a new kind of national sales tax, sometimes called a value-added tax, should be adopted to help reduce local property taxes that now support public schools. Do you favor or oppose such a tax? (Asked in: 1972.)
[Code: 153-FinSX-5]

Question 6: It has been suggested that state government through increased taxes pay more of the cost of local school expenses. Would you favor or oppose an increase in state taxes for this purpose? (Asked in: 1973.)
[Code: 154-FinSX-6]

Question 7: There has been much discussion in the nation about the best way to finance the public schools. Do you happen to know where most of the money comes from to finance schools in this community? Where? (Asked in: 1978.)
[Code: 158-FinSX-7]

Question 8: Are you, yourself, satisfied or dissatisfied with this way of raising the money? (Asked in: 1978.)
[Code: 150-FinSX-8]

Question 9: There is always a lot of discussion about the best way to finance public schools. Which do you think is the best way to finance the public schools - by means of local property taxes, by state taxes, or by taxes from the federal government in Washington? (Asked in: 1986, 1997, 1998, 2008.)
[Code: 159-FinSX-9]

Question 10: Now, where do you think most of the funds to finance the public schools come from: from local property taxes, from state taxes, or from the federal government in Washington? And what do you think is the second largest source? (Asked in: 1986.)
[Code: 157-FinSX-10]

Question 11: Now, to raise money for education in this state, would you favor or oppose the following measures in the public schools of this community? (Asked in: 1991.)
[Code: 156-FinSX-11]

Question 12: In your opinion, is the existing system of funding public education in this country fair or unfair to the average taxpayer? (Asked in: 1994.)
[Code: 152-FinSX-12]

Question 13: At the present time, local property taxes are the main source for financing the public schools in most states. Thinking about your own community, would you favor or oppose changing the local property tax system to a local income tax system as the principal way to finance the local public schools? (Asked in: 1997.)
[Code: 151-FinSX-13]

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POLL RESULTS

Per-Pupil Costs
Question 1: Do you happen to know what it costs per child, per school year, in the local public schools? How much? (Asked in: 1979.)
[Code: 147-FinPX-1]

	National Totals
Year	Under $700 %	$700-$1,299 %	$1,300-$1,899 %	$1,900-$2,499 %	$2,500 & Over %
1979	17	40	18	10	15

	National Totals
Year	Higher %	Lower %	About the Same %	Don't Know %
1980	29	19	34	18

	National Totals
Year	Yes %	No %	Don't Know %
1998	50	42	8

	National Totals
Year	For %	Against %	No Opinion %
1972	55	34	11
1972	46	37	17
1970	54	34	12

	National Totals
Year	Favor %	Oppose %	No Opinion %
1972	34	51	15

	National Totals
Year	Favor Increase %	Oppose Increase %	No Opinion %
1973	40	50	10

	National Totals
Year	Federal %	State %	Local %	Don't Know %
1978	11	16	49	24

Question 8: Are you, yourself, satisfied or dissatisfied with this way of raising the money? (Asked in: 1978.)
[Code: 150-FinSX-8]

	National Totals
Those who named:	Satisfied %	Dissatisfied %	Don't Know %
Federal taxes	68	21	11
State taxes	68	20	12
Local taxes	43	52	5

	National Totals
Year	Local Property Taxes %	State Taxes %	Federal Taxes %	Don't Know %
2008*	20	35	37	8
1998	21	33	37	9
1997	27	34	30	9
1986	24	33	24	19
* In 2008, results were published showing the breakdown between Democrats (12% local; 35% state; 44% federal; and 9% don't know) and Republicans (29% local; 35% state; 31% federal; and 5% don't know).

Year: 1986
	Largest Source %	Second Largest Source %	Largest Source %	Second Largest Source %	Largest Source %	Second Largest Source %	Largest Source %	Second Largest Source %
Local property taxes	45	19	44	19	44	19	46	23
State taxes	30	42	30	43	31	39	36	34
Taxes from federal government	11	22	10	20	14	26	4	19
Don't know	14	17	16	18	11	16	14	24

Question 11: Now, to raise money for education in this state, would you favor or oppose the following measures in the public schools of this community? (Asked in: 1991.)
[Code: 156-FinSX-11]

Year: 1991
	Favor %	Oppose %	Don't Know %
Charging user fees for all extracurricular activities (e.g., sports, music groups, drama, special interest clubs)	49	44	7
A 1% state sales tax dedicated specifically to the public schools	55	40	5
A one-half of 1% state income tax dedicated to the public schools	50	44	6
Establishment of local education foundations to attract financial support from private companies and individuals	74	17	9

Question 12: In your opinion, is the existing system of funding public education in this country fair or unfair to the average taxpayer? (Asked in: 1994.)
[Code: 152-FinSX-12]

	National Totals
Year	Fair %	Unfair %	Don't Know %
1994	43	54	3

	National Totals
Year	%	%	Don't Know %
1997	43	48	9

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Last modified August 6, 2012
k_q_finances_2.htm