Americans in a new poll of education priorities say they have a couple of top assignments for the new Congress — slash student debt and boost funding for public schools.
The majority of Americans — both Republicans and Democrats — said “finding ways to lessen student debt” and “increasing spending on K-12 public education” were “extremely important” goals for the Congress in a poll by POLITICO / Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Respondents were given a list of six education policy areas and asked which they believe are “extremely important” for Congress to tackle. Seventy-nine percent picked cutting student debt, making it first on the list. Seventy-six percent selected public education funding, putting it second.
Both priorities carried broad bipartisan support in the poll, with 88 percent of those identifying as Democrats and 64 percent of Republicans saying boosting public education funding was “extremely important.” Eighty-seven percent of Democrats and 61 percent of Republicans said combating student debt was “extremely important.”
There’s also broad bipartisan support for more federal spending on school buildings — a boost for Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.), the chairman of the House education committee, who wants schools included in any infrastructure bill Congress may pass. Increasing federal spending on school buildings landed fourth on the list, with 66 percent of Americans saying it is important.
