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Education cuts are leading our children on the road to nowhere.

New Mexicans on Education Funding: Key Findings

2009: 76% of voters oppose education cuts; 64% support increasing taxes on cigarettes.
January 2009
Conducted by New Mexico Research and Polling Inc., commissioned by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network & The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
502 Survey Respondents; Margin of error for entire sample +/- 4.4%

*2009: 64% of registered voters support a three quarters of one percent increase in the gross receipts tax after being informed that public school funding will probably be reduced this year and 31% continue to oppose the tax measure.
Poll commissioned by New Mexico Education Partners and conducted by New Mexico Research and Polling (AFT New Mexico, NEA New Mexico, Coalition of School Administrators, School Boards Association)

2005: 40% of Voters Say New Revenues Should Be Spent on Public Schools versus only 14% Who Favor Tax Rebate
NEA Poll (Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research )

STORY 2009 POLL: New Mexico Education Partners

In 2009, a poll commissioned by AFT New Mexico, NEA New Mexico and others in the New Mexico Education Partners showed 59% of voters support increasing New Mexico’s gross receipts tax by three-quarters of one percent for additional public school education funding and 36% opposed.

When informed that education funding would be slashed this year, support for a change in the gross receipts tax increased. voters who were opposed or undecided about the tax measure were asked a follow up question in which they were informed that due to the state budget deficit, public school funding will probably be reduced starting this year. They were then asked whether they support or oppose the three-quarter of one percent gross receipts tax increase for public school education. In total, 64% of registered voters either initially support the tax or support the tax measure after being informed that public school funding will probably be reduced this year and 31% continue to oppose the tax measure. Seventy-three percent of Democrats, 55% of Republicans and 57% of independents support the tax measure after being informed of the probability of reduced funding for education.

STORY 2005: POLL COMMISSIONED BY NEA NEW MEXICO

Poll Finds Funding Schools is Favored Over Tax Rebates
By BARRY MASSEY | Associated Press
October 22, 2005
 http://nm.aft.org/index.cfm?action=print&articleid=6b5184c6-ea82-4648-b4b7-803dee574ce9

More New Mexicans favor using the state's expected revenue windfall to improve public schools than cutting taxes or giving a tax rebate, according to a public opinion poll commissioned for an education group.
 
The findings were released by the National Education Association-New Mexico, a teachers' union, as legislators and Gov. Bill Richardson prepare to receive new revenue projections that could fuel a major debate over next year's budget and spending priorities.
 
Richardson also is waiting for the revenue update to decide whether he'll accept or veto a measure that would speed up implementation of personal-income-tax-rate reductions. Lawmakers approved the proposal along with a tax rebate during a special session earlier this month.
 
The poll, conducted by a Washington, D.C., firm that often works for Democratic candidates, found that 40 percent preferred to use the state's better-than-expected revenue collections to improve public schools and 18 percent said the money should go for economic development to attract better jobs to the state.
 
Fifteen percent of those surveyed supported refunding revenues back to taxpayers, and 11 percent favored reducing the state's gasoline tax. Fourteen percent said any additional revenues should be used to improve children's health care.
 
New Mexico's revenues have been higher than anticipated mostly because of soaring energy prices. The state collects taxes and royalties from oil and natural-gas production.
 
Revenues were about $200 million higher than expected in the 2005 budget year, which ended June 30. A similar windfall is possible this year.
 
Continued high energy prices could mean the state has a hefty pool of new money - lmost $300 million according to the July forecast – in the upcoming 2007 fiscal year for budget increases or tax cuts.
 
Eduardo Holguin, president of NEA-New Mexico, said the poll findings underscore the strong support in New Mexico for education even though the public gives schools low ratings.
 
Only 26 percent consider the quality of education as excellent or good in public schools statewide, although
 
41 percent consider their neighborhood schools as excellent or good.
"The numbers are very, very sobering for New Mexico," Holguin said in a telephone interview this week.
 
Despite those low ratings for schools, education was considered the top issue facing the governor by slightly more than half of those surveyed.
 
The polling firm of Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research surveyed 872 voters in New Mexico in August. There was a margin of error of plus or minus 4.1 percentage points. Of those surveyed, about 54 percent were Democrats, and 36 percent were Hispanic.
 
According to an Oct. 14 analysis of the poll by Al Quinlan and Deborah Beck, "The public believes the most effective way to improve children's learning is by focusing on the classroom -- quality and well-paid teachers, smaller classrooms, up-to-date materials and technology. As important is the deep belief that parents must be engaged and connected to their children's schools and education if learning is to ever improve."

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