If you listened to one side of the debate, you’d think the only people who had a problem with any aspect of public education in Tennessee were Neanderthal, backwoods, gun-toting, book-banning, Bible-thumping Republican conspiracy theorists.
A new Beacon Poll, taken of some 1,200 state residents in mid- to late-December, suggests the argument is not so one-sided.
Indeed, 48% of Republican respondents are very dissatisfied or somewhat dissatisfied with “the way things are going” in K-12 public education in Tennessee. But 49% of Democrats are very or somewhat dissatisfied, and 67% of independents or people with other political affiliations are as well.
Similarly, 73% of Republicans in the Beacon Poll somewhat support or strongly support Gov. Bill Lee’s suggestion to offer scholarship-type options to all Tennessee families for educational expenses that could include private-school tuition. But 51% — a majority — of Democrats either somewhat or strongly support the measure, and 71% of independents or those with other political leanings do.
The poll shows similar percentages for expanding public charter schools statewide and only slightly smaller percentages — not quite a majority among Democrats — for being more likely to vote for a state legislator who supports expanding educational choice.