The fourth annual Texas Education Poll was recently released from the Charles Butt Foundation. The data collected was from September 9-19, 2022, in English and Spanish, among 1,211 Texas adults. Eighty-nine percent of Texas public-school parents expressed they are somewhat or very satisfied with the quality of education their child is receiving.
While support for teachers remains strong, the profession is under pressure with just 39 percent of Texans expressing the desire that their child teach in public schools. Texans think public school teachers are undervalued, overworked, and believe long-tenured teacher salaries are too low. Eighty-nine percent of Texans support additional state funding for PK-12 public school teacher salaries.
Perceptions of public schools show a gap between Texas parents who have a child enrolled in public pre-K-12 schools and non-parents–those without a child enrolled in pre-K-12 schools. Sixty-four percent of parents give their local public schools an A or B grade, compared to 43 percent of non-parents.
Results showed broad bipartisan support of two-thirds or more for increased state funding. This includes areas like career and technical training, assisting with mental health needs, material needs such as clothing and school supplies, and building security in schools.
The full report Strong Support, Clear Challenges – The 2023 poll on Texans’ attitudes toward public education can be found at Strong Support, Clear Challenges – Charles Butt Foundation (charlesbuttfdn.org) .