Just 10% of Colorado Republicans said the state's public education system is headed in the right direction, according to polling data released this week. That's compared with 43% of Democrats -- revealing a wide gap between the two political parties.
Republicans said schools focus too much on "woke ideology" and not enough on reading, writing, and math, Magellan Strategies reported. The Colorado company, which has done regular polling on education for years, surveyed a representative sample of 1,078 registered Colorado voters in October. The survey has a margin of error of 2.98%.
Nationwide, satisfaction with the K-12 education system is at a record low, according to an August Gallup poll. Much of the decline is being driven by Democrats and independents whose satisfaction has plummeted since President Donald Trump took office in January. Satisfaction with education among Republicans nationwide was at 29%, which is significantly higher than in Colorado.
In Colorado, Republicans were less likely than Democrats to think their local school district was spending taxpayer money wisely, the Magellan Strategies poll shows. And while 91% of Democrats said additional funding would result in better education for students, only 28% of Republicans said so.
"It's almost like the trench lines are getting deeper," said Magellan Strategies CEO David Flaherty.
Democrats and Republicans also had different opinions on what makes schools great.
Democrats were more likely to say schools should focus on attracting and retaining high-quality teachers and teaching critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Republicans were more likely to value teaching the basics and preparing students for a job right after high school.
Only 3% of Republicans said providing a welcoming environment for students of different backgrounds should be a top priority for schools, compared with 31% of Democrats.
On higher education, Democrats were more likely to say earning a four-year college degree is important. Republicans were more likely to favor career and technical education over preparing students for college.
But voters from both political parties largely agreed that college is unaffordable. Only 21% of Democrats and 18% of Republicans said earning a degree from a public college such as the University of Colorado is very or somewhat affordable.
"College is not in a good place," Flaherty said.
The survey also asked voters about Colorado's universal preschool program, which offers some free preschool to all 4-year-olds. Most voters had a favorable opinion of the program, but it was higher among Democrats than Republicans. Those who didn't like it made comments such as, "it's not the state's job to raise kids" and "children should be at home until kindergarten."
Opinions on school closures differed too. Lower birth rates are causing enrollment in Colorado's public schools to decline, and several districts have closed small schools. Republicans were more likely than Democrats to say schools with low enrollment should be closed.
See the full poll results here.
Melanie Asmar is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Colorado. Contact Melanie at masmar@chalkbeat.org.
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