Public+Opinion+Polls+Show+Pennsylvanians+Opposed+to+School+Vouchers

= **News release from: Pennsylvanians Opposed to Vouchers**  = = = = = = **PUBLIC OPINION POLLS ARE CLEAR: PENNSYLVANIANS OPPOSE TAX-FUNDED SCHOOL VOUCHERS** = = = = HARRISBURG – Spokespersons for the Pennsylvanians Opposed to Vouchers coalition today cited a new public opinion poll as the latest evidence that most Keystone State residents oppose taxpayer-funded programs for private school tuition. = = = = By nearly a 2-to-1 margin (61 percent opposed, 37 percent support, 3 percent unsure), Pennsylvanians oppose the idea of tax-funded private school vouchers, said Sharon Kletzien of the League of Women Voters-PA. The League of Women Voters is one of 28 member organizations of the Pennsylvanians Opposed to Vouchers coalition. = = = = “Pennsylvanians do not support vouchers, and opposition increases if it means increased transportation costs and less money available for local public schools,” said Kletzien. “The majority of Pennsylvanians believe that this is the wrong prescription for improving education in the Commonwealth.” = = = = The survey released today by Pennsylvanians Opposed to Vouchers was conducted in March 2011 by Terry Madonna Opinion Research. The survey had a sample size of 807 Pennsylvanians and a margin of error of 3.4 percent. Pennsylvanians included in the survey backed other reform proposals, such as providing tutors to struggling students, increasing teacher training and certification, removing disruptive students, and limiting class sizes, over vouchers. = = = = “With the Corbett administration proposing to cut more than $1 billion in K-12 funding to public schools, creation of a new, expensive voucher program with unknown costs is an experiment we can’t afford,” Kletzien said. = = = = A chart showing the potential property tax impact for each Pennsylvania school district which would result from Senate Bill 1, the voucher legislation pending in the General Assembly, is available on the POV website, www.paopposedtovouchers.org . = = = = The latest Terry Madonna Opinion Research findings are consistent with previous survey findings. A survey conducted by Madonna Opinion Research in fall 2010 of 805 Pennsylvania adults conducted from Aug. 25-Sept. 24, 2010 had similar results. = = = = In that survey, about two out of three Pennsylvanians (67 percent) said they oppose giving tax dollars to families to send their children to a private school. Only a small minority (13.7 percent) of Pennsylvanians said they strongly favor taxpayer-funded tuition vouchers. = = = = Pennsylvanians age 55 or older oppose taxpayer-funded tuition vouchers and 51 percent said they strongly oppose the idea. Over 70 percent of individuals surveyed under the age of 34, strongly or somewhat oppose tuition vouchers, more so than any other respondent age group, according to the 2010 Madonna opinion survey. = = = = “Instead of funding an unproven voucher program which could cost hundreds of millions of dollars over time and benefitting only a few students at the expense of many, Governor Tom Corbett and the General Assembly should focus on proven school reform strategies,” Kletzien said. = = = = Woodrow Sites of the Pennsylvania Association of Rural and Small Schools said, “This is not the time to start a new expensive government program and new bureaucracy, when public schools are facing drastic cuts in state funding.” = = = = More information on the latest Madonna Opinion Research survey can be found on the coalition’s website, www.paopposedtovouchers.org . = = = = Pennsylvanians Opposed to Vouchers is a coalition of 28 civic, labor, religious and education organizations, collectively representing more than a million state residents, opposed to the use of tax dollars to support private school tuition. = = = = Pennsylvanians Opposed to Vouchers consists of the following organizations: = = = = = = = = American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania (ACLU) = = = = Andy Hoover, ahoover@aclupa.org, 717-236-6827 x13 (office), 717-514-2747 (mobile) = = = = = = = = American Federation of Teachers – PA (AFT-PA) = = = = Pat Halpin-Murphy, phalpin-murphy@aftpa.org, 215-587-6786 = = = = = = = = Americans for Religious Liberty = = = = Edd Doerr, arlinc@verizon.net, 301-260-2988 = = = = = = = = Americans United for Separation of Church and State, PA Chapters = = = = Nate Hennagin, hennagin@au.org, 202-466-3234, ext. 232 = = = = = = = = Disability Rights Network = = = = Sallie Lynagh, slynagh@drnpa.org, 1-800-390-1279 = = = = = = = = Education Law Center = = = = Baruch Kintisch, bkintisch@elc-pa.org, 215-238-6970, ext. 320 = = = = Sandy Zelno, szelno@elc-pa.org,412-255-6414 = = = = Education Voters PA = = = = Susan Gobreski, Executive Director, susan@educationvoterspa.org, 215-564-2299 = = Ian Moran, ian@educationvoterspa.org, 215-564-2299 = = = = = = = = Equality Pennsylvania = = = = Ted Martin, themartin@equalitypa.org, 717-319-5210 = = = = = = = = Jewish Labor Committee = = = = Michael Hersch, PhiladelphiaJLC@jewishlabor.org, 215-587-6822 = = = = = = = = Keystone Progress = = = = Michael Morrill, keystoneprogress@gmail.com, 610-568-0937 = = = = = = = = Keystone State Education Coalition = = = = Larry Feinberg, LFeinberg@TheLocalGroup.com, = = = = = = = = League of Women Voters Pennsylvania = = = = Sharon Kletzien, sbkletzien@msn.com, 610-738-0760 = = = = Lora Lavin, lavin@steuber.com, 610-328-3746 = = = = = = = = NAACP-PA = = = = Dr. Joan Duvall-Flynn, jed.flynn@verizon.net, 610-358-1582 = = = = = = = = National Council of Jewish Women = = = = Christine Stone, quitampittsburg@gmail.com, 412-391-2005 = = = = = = = = Penn Action = = = = Marc Stier, Executive Director, MarcStier@pennaction.org, 215-880-6142 = = = = = = = = Pennsylvania AFL-CIO = = = = Mike Stefan, mikestefan@paaflcio.com, (717) 679-1905 = = = = = = = = Pennsylvania Association of Pupil Services Administrators (PAPSA) = = = = Robert Cormany, rcormany@aol.com, 717-243-6413 = = = = = = = = Pennsylvania Association of Rural and Small Schools (PARSS) = = = = Joseph Bard, jfbard@parss.org, (717) 233-0919 = = = = Dr. Woodrow Sites, wsites@parss.org, (717) 575-1412 = = = = = = = = Pennsylvania Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (PASCD) = = = = Winston Cleland, wcleland@pa.net, 717-249-2096 = = = = = = = = Pennsylvania Council of Churches = = = = The Reverend Sandra L. Strauss, s.strauss@pachurches.org, 717-545-4761 = = = = = = = = Pennsylvania League of Urban Schools = = = = Beth Olanoff, beth.olanoff@gmail.com, 267-337-3858 = = = = = = = = Pennsylvania Parent Teacher Association (PA PTA) = = = = Michele Morrow, mmorrow@papta.org, 610-837-9499 = = = = Julie Lesitsky, jlesitsky@papta.org, 570-722-9478 = = = = = = Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA) = = = = Beth Winters, beth.winters@psba.org, 717-506-2450, ext. 3324 = = = = = = = = Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA) = = = = Wythe Keever, wkeever@psea.org, 717-255-7107 = = = = = = = = Public Citizens for Children and Youth (PCCY) = = = = Shelly Yanoff, shellyyanoff@pccy.org, 215-563-5848 ext. 30 = = = = = = = = Racial Justice Initiative of TimeBanks USA = = = = Keri A. Nash, Esq., keri@timebanks.org, 202-686-5200 ext. 104 = = = = = = = = Service Employees International Union PA State Council = = = = Julie Karant, 646-584-9001 = = = = = = = = The Interfaith Alliance of Pennsylvania = = = = Rabbi Carl Choper, interfaithalliance@pa.net, 717-903-2998 =

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