Poll shows voters split on schools

CARSON CITY -- A Review-Journal opinion poll shows Nevada voters are divided about whether to provide full-day kindergarten in all public elementary schools.

The survey of 625 registered voters statewide found 45 percent support funding full-day kindergarten, 48 oppose it, and 7 percent are undecided.

Voters are more willing to support empowerment schools -- those in which principals have more autonomy over the budget and curriculum -- with 46 percent in favor, 32 percent opposed, and 22 percent undecided.

The poll, conducted Monday and Tuesday by Washington, D.C.-based Mason-Dixon Polling & Research Inc., has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

"It is about what I expected," Assembly Education Chairwoman Bonnie Parnell said. "It is so dependent on whether the family has children."

Assembly Speaker Barbara Buckley, D-Las Vegas, is the primary sponsor of Assembly Bill 157, which calls for spending $73 million to offer full-day kindergarten in all of the state's 340 elementary schools during the 2008-09 school year.

Full-day kindergarten is offered in 114 "at-risk" schools, where 55 percent of children qualify for free or reduced-cost lunches.

Clark County School District Superintendent Walt Rulffes was pleased by the share of Clark County residents -- 48 percent -- that support funding full-day kindergarten. Like Parnell, Rulffes said responses to the poll depend largely on whether a person has children in school. About 25 percent of adults in Clark County have children in the school system, Rulffes said.

"If you don't benefit from the service, you are inclined not to want to pay taxes for it," Rulffes said.

But the poll appears to show many people without children are supportive of full-day kindergarten, he said.

Gov. Jim Gibbons called for establishing 100 empowerment schools in his State of the State message in January. Under his Senate Bill 238, empowerment schools would be established using $60 million now going to a retirement incentive program for teachers.

Sen. Steven Horsford, D-Las Vegas, has proposed establishing 21 empowerment schools in Senate Bill 304. His proposal would not cost the state additional money.

Final action on the bills likely will not come until a compromise is reached.

The Legislature is scheduled to adjourn on June 4.

Gibbons has expressed his opposition to spending additional money on full-day kindergarten this session, while Democrats oppose ending the retirement incentive program to fund empowerment schools.

Terry Hickman, executive director of the Nevada State Education Association, a union representing 28,000 teachers statewide, said the poll shows many people have doubts about the effectiveness of full-day kindergarten even though the union is sold on it.

"The question marks are more in the public's mind," Hickman said. "When we have talked to teachers, they say, 'Students who are in full-day perform better than those in half-day kindergarten in first and second grades.' "

Many Republican legislators have said they are more concerned with whether full-day kindergarten has long-term benefits for students through elementary school.

Supporters and opponents of full-day kindergarten cite studies supporting both sides of the argument.

Hickman said he was surprised by the amount of support for empowerment schools, considering the state has only four such schools, all located in Clark County.

Pollster Brad Coker said people don't care much about education issues unless they have children in school. Voters also may not understand what empowerment schools are, although they were briefly described in the poll. That could account for the large number with no opinion on empowerment schools, he said.

"Everybody knows all-day kindergarten," Coker said. "But this result tells me there is not a mandate out there to do it."

While more people said yes than no to empowerment schools, Coker pointed out that a majority did not support the idea.

"A lot of people don't follow the issue," he said. "It sounds like a good idea, but it certainly isn't going to drive his (Gibbons') approval rating up. It is a lukewarm issue."

Horsford was not overly enthusiastic about the survey results.

"One of the reasons I support empowerment for public schools is because those closest to the schools -- parents, teachers and principals -- should be deciding what is best for education, not public opinion polls," he said.

It is one of a number of measures, including full-day kindergarten, higher funding for career and technical education and teacher incentive pay, that should be approved, Horsford said.

"All of these efforts together will make schools more accountable and ensure all students improve academically," he said.