Poll: Public unhappy with education cuts in budget

A new poll from Epic/MRA reveals that Michigan voters are very upset about the steep cuts to K-12 school funding in the new budget — and that they want at least some revenue increases to prevent further cuts in the future. WXYZ Channel 7 reports on the new poll, which showed an overwhelming percentage of voters opposed to the cuts in education:

Federal stimulus funds were used to provide much of the funding for public education, but to balance the current state budget, one of the areas that was cut the most was state funding for local public school districts. Funding for schools was cut by $400 million, which equals a cut of $292 per pupil. Based on what you know or have heard or read about the state budget cuts to education, do you support or oppose the state budget cuts for schools?

62% Strongly oppose
17% Somewhat oppose
10% Somewhat support
7% Strongly support
4% Undecided/ Don’t know/Refused

A whopping 79 percent either opposed or strongly opposed and only 7% strongly supporting those cuts. That can’t be good news for Republicans who refused to raise revenue to make up for those cuts.

And the same appears to be true of next year’s budget, which may feature even deeper cuts unless revenue is raised. On that question, only 16 percent take the position of Mike Bishop and the Senate Republicans that only cuts should be used to balance the budget.

For the next budget year, given current and projected state revenues, in 2010 it will likely be necessary to cut state funding for schools by at least another $400 million, which would equal $800 million over both fiscal years, or about $600 per pupil. Knowing this, do you support or oppose the state budget cuts that will be required next year?

69% Strongly oppose
14% Somewhat oppose
6% Strongly support
7% Somewhat support
14% Somewhat oppose 4% Undecided/ Don’t know/Refused

How should the state budget for next year be balanced?

34% Equally relying on state budget cuts AND also increasing in some taxes and fees
20% Mostly making budget cuts, but also relying on some tax increases
17% Mostly increasing taxes, but also by relying on some budget cuts
16% By ONLY relying on budget cuts (VOLUNTEERED)
4% By ONLY relying on tax increases (VOLUNTEERED)
9% Undecided/Don’t know/Refused

If Michigan’s economy does not improve within the next year, which means that there will be no additional state revenues that could be used to restore state funding for education, do you think that the Governor and the Legislature should look for other ways to increase state revenue so they can restore the funding that has been cut for schools, or, do you think that they should accept the fact that funding cannot be restored for local public schools and budget cuts in education will continue to be required?

79% They should look for ways to restore funding for schools
15% They should accept the fact that funding cannot be restored for local public schools
6% Undecided/ Don’t know/Refused

On specific tax questions, the respondents were about evenly split on the question of extending the state sales tax to services, with 49 percent supporting or strongly supporting that option and 44 percent opposing or strongly opposing it. On the question of a graduated state income tax, however, 65 percent would vote yes or are likely to vote yes on such a measure, while only 30 percent would vote no or are likely to vote no.