Ohioans need to get schooled on their state's education policy and funding, according to the results of a poll released Monday.
This is the third poll of 1,002 random Ohioans conducted every two years by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute - an education think tank - and Catalyst Ohio, a Cleveland-based magazine that gauges trends in public perception about education policies in the state, said Fordham Institute writer and researcher, Emmy Partin.
We want to look at trends in what the public is thinking about crucial education issues
she said.
The poll reports that Ohioans are unaware of controversial education issues like funding and are more confident in local school districts making decisions rather than the state or governor.
Most Ohioans - 64 percent - said they were unsure if the Ohio Supreme Court has ruled the state's school funding system unconstitutional - it has been ruled unconstitutional four times.
Yet 88 percent said it was important to them to even out spending across school districts - meaning they recognized the inequality in how schools are funded, Partin said.
On the flip side, a majority of Ohioans reported they would not be willing to pay more in taxes to help even out those funding differences.
Overall though, Ohioans said the quality of education in the state has not declined, but 47 percent have more confidence in their local school district to make decisions rather than the state school board or governor.
Partin said that the figure is troubling but that it makes sense people would trust their local school districts.
If you have a problem with the school board you can go to each and every meeting and voice your complaint but it's hard for people to feasibly think about going to Columbus every week to address the Department of Education or the governor
she said.
Despite somewhat weak public perceptions about state decision concerning school funding, a majority of Ohioans supported proposals Governor Strickland made in his 2009 State of the State address.
The first was extension of the school year, which 53 percent supported. More than 60 percent of people surveyed also approved of the governor's proposal of all day kindergarten.
Partin said Ohioans' confusion about the state's education lies with both the politicians and citizens themselves.
It's easy for politicians to get wrapped into playing party lines
but they sometimes forget what their constituents need
she said. But people also need to take the time and effort to learn about how their money is spent and how each school district is performing.
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Jessica Neidhard
