Jon Ralston on how a teachers union poll might play to lawmakers in Carson City

By Jon Ralston (contact)

Friday, Feb. 2, 2007 | 7:09 a.m.

It will surprise no one that too many Nevadans think the state of public education is putrid. But how do voters think the K-12 system should be fixed? The answers to that question are provocative and may provide a road map for lawmakers looking for guidance.

Much insight into the public's views of lower education comes in a recent poll by the national firm of Garin-Hart-Yang, which surveyed 613 statewide voters from Jan. 15-17. The lengthy survey was paid for by the Nevada State Education Association.

I know what some of you are thinking: "Aha! It's the teachers' union. They just want to justify their never-ending requests for more money."

Well, of course the union wants to persuade lawmakers of that cause, which is partly why the poll results are leaking here. But forget NSEA's agenda for a moment: The polling outfit knows what it is doing (more Republicans were surveyed than Democrats) and some of the findings are hard to dispute.

Here are some of the findings:

So what do all these numbers mean?

The answer, unfortunately, is: Whatever you want them to mean.

The union will see it as confirmation that the public wants teachers to be paid more. The School District folks may see themselves as victims, although they lament the same deficiencies. And the Gang of 63 could use various questions to explain various positions.

Voters do, however, seem to think all-day kindergarten should be part of the mix. Not only did more than two-thirds say it is worth the extra cost, but some follow-up questions made it clear the support is there in the electorate.

Voters were presented with four arguments on all-day kindergarten - two for and two against. After the pros - faster reading ability, proven results elsewhere - and the cons - no lasting benefits, too much money - voters were asked if they would support across-the-board all-day kindergarten. Fifty-five percent said yes and 40 percent said no.

Add in the unqualified endorsement of all-day kindergarten's benefits by Gov. Jim Gibbons' empowerment guru Michael Strembitsky, and you would think this would be an easy sell.

But raw numbers and common sense aren't always enough in Carson City. Legislators worried about powerful media forces or their special-interest allies might find ways to ignore the obvious, as they have in the past. The union actually has provided plenty of cover for GOP lawmakers, who always pay lip service to paying teachers more but won't put their green buttons where their mouths are when the time comes.

Alas, you don't need a poll to know the answer to what many Republican lawmakers will do on all-day kindergarten now that the most powerful elected official in the state has provided them even greater cover by opposing the idea. That, too, will surprise no one.