Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Poll: Wealthier people more likely to favor school voucher program

Wealthier people favored Nevada’s controversial Education Savings Account Program more than those with lower incomes, according to a new poll by KTNV Channel 13 and Rasmussen Reports.

Released today, the poll found higher-income individuals tended to favor the program more than any other demographic. The program, established last year but put on hold over court challenges, would provide families more than $5,000 in state funds to pay for private schooling.

Of those making more than $200,000 a year, 69 percent supported the program, while only 40 percent making less than $30,000 backed it.

Overall, about 48 percent had a favorable view of the program and 37 percent opposed it, the poll found. Some 14 percent of respondents were undecided.

Some other nuggets from the poll:

• Women supported the program more than men.

• Older residents opposed the program more than younger people.

• Hispanics were more wary of education savings accounts than white or black residents.

The program has been controversial. Supporters argue it will create competition to encourage public schools to improve, while opponents say it is tantamount to an entitlement program for wealthy residents who want to take their children out of the state’s ailing public schools.

A review of state data last year found a majority of ESA applicants lived in wealthy Las Vegas suburbs with already higher-performing public schools. They also tended to be from ZIP codes with already high rates of private-school enrollment.

Multiple lawsuits have kept the program on hold since last year. But after a hearing in Las Vegas on Friday, the state Supreme Court could soon decide the fate of the program.

You can see the complete breakdown of the poll, which also included questions about net metering for Nevada’s solar energy consumers, here.

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