Other than health care, education is the most important legislative issue for most Tennesseans, according to poll results released Friday by the State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE).
Of a dozen issues, including jobs, gun rights, immigration and the opioid crisis, 15% of respondents said education should be the top priority for Gov. Bill Lee and the state Legislature, just behind the 18% that indicated health care was the top issue.
Most Tennesseans also think the state is “on the right track,” and 69% support continuing to use the controversial TNReady assessment to evaluate students and the schools.
And most of those polled – or 79% – also indicated that post-secondary education is necessary to get a job in today’s economy. More than 80% of survey respondents said they were more likely to support state legislators who voted to make a college education more affordable and accessible.
“Tennesseans understand that a rewarding career now requires education beyond high school, and they support a wide range of options, from Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology to state community colleges and four-year universities,” SCORE President and CEO David Mansouri said in a statement. “SCORE has recently expanded its mission to encompass student success from the time they start kindergarten until they begin their careers, and this survey confirms that Tennesseans want our students to have multiple paths to adult success.”