Majority in N.J. found to support vouchers But poll shows fewer support them than a few years ago Wednesday, September 27, 2006 • BY JOHN MOONEY • Star-Ledger Staff In the ongoing debate over school vouchers, a pro-voucher group released a poll yesterday that found a majority of New Jersey residents support allowing families to use public money to attend schools of their choice, public or private. The poll of more than 800 residents found 54 percent supporting such vouchers, although that was well down from the 66 percent voicing support in a similar poll three years ago and 60 percent in 2001. Thirty-eight percent this year said they would oppose the practice. Sponsoring the poll, leaders of the group Excellent Education for Everyone said the margin of support remains significant and should be a message to state lawmakers with voucher proposals now sitting before the Legislature and in court. The same poll -- conducted by Monmouth University's Polling Institute -- found even greater support for E3's legislative proposal to use income-tax credits to lure contributions to private scholarship program. That proposal drew 74 percent support, with just 20 percent opposed. "These numbers show that political leaders who do not support parental school choice swim against the tide of public opinion," said Dan Gaby, the executive director of E3, which paid for all three polls. "That begs the question: What are they swimming towards?" he said. With any such commissioned polls, debate is inevitable about how the polling questions were asked. One frequent critic of E3's efforts quickly dismissed the voucher numbers as tainted, citing how the question also included public schools among the choices available. "But even their skewed questions shows a tremendous drop in support for vouchers," said Steve Wollmer, spokesman for the New Jersey Education Association, the state's chief teachers union. "If anything, this is bad news for their legislation and lawsuit," he said. The voucher support in the latest poll was not far off that found in a Star-Ledger/Eagleton poll in 2004. National polling has been less kind to the cause, including a recent Gallup Poll that found just 36 percent support for vouchers and a ABCNEWS/Washington Post poll that found 40 percent support. For both traditional vouchers and the scholarship proposal, the Monmouth poll found the greatest support among parents and minority respondents. Sixty-six percent of parents said they supported vouchers, and 79 percent supported the scholarship proposal. Sixty-two percent of black and Hispanic respondents backed vouchers, and 85 percent supported the scholarships. The poll also asked a more general question that is timely to the state's current debate over how best to fund its public schools. Following up on a broad approach endorsed by some lawmakers, the poll asked residents whether they would support the state setting a spending amount based on each student's needs and let that amount follow the child. The state's current funding system is centered more on district or school needs. Fifty-four percent of respondents said they would support the student-based approach, compared to 32 percent opposed. Its greatest support again came from minority respondents, and those between ages 18 and 29. The Monmouth poll, conducted by telephone over three days in July, surveyed a random sample of 802 New Jersey adults. The results have a margin of error of 3.5 percent. John Mooney covers education. He may be reached at jmooney@starledger.com, or (973) 392-1548. © 2006 The Star-Ledger. Used by NJ.com with permission.