A majority of North Carolina residents like the idea of charter schools, but don't like vouchers, according to a new state-wide poll.
The Elon University Poll found that 53 percent support public funding of charter schools, which are public schools that operate outside regular rules. Thirty-six percent oppose it. Despite the support, 60 percent want to keep the current cap at 100 school. The new Republican majority in the legislature hopes to raise the cap
But a majority(55 percent) oppose the idea if using tax-funded vouchers to help parents pay for their children to attend private or religious schools. Thirty-nine percent support vouchers and 37 percent said they believed vouchers would encourage competition, thereby strengthening public schools.
The poll was conducted Nov. 15-18 and surveyed 520 North Carolina residents and had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points
Comments
Add more charters!
November 22, 2010 - 7:41pm — ryeishPlease lift the 100 school limit. There are many areas that want them and cannot get them due to the limit. I'd love to see a cost per student comparison between normal schools and charters.
I'm not for vouchers, even though I sent my kid to a private school until this year. If you want to send your kid to a private school then you can foot the bill. I never expected a voucher because private school was *my* decision and I don't think it's fair for my fellow taxpayers to foot the bill for me. It would be nice, sure, but it's not fair to them. If anything give tax monies paid from the localities to the charters if your child is in one and reduce the amount the state has to pay in.