The Charles Butt Foundation has released its 2023 poll on Texans’ attitudes toward public education, and, once again, the results confirm what we already know: Texans overwhelmingly support and value their public schools and those who work in them.
Among the key findings of this year’s poll:
- 89% of Texans support increasing teacher salaries.
- 89% of Texas public school parents are satisfied with the quality of education their children receive.
- 76% of Texas public school parents give their children’s teachers an A or B grade.
- ¾ of Texans think public school teachers are undervalued or disrespected.
These results couldn’t have been released at a more important time. With the 88th Legislature in session, our union is focused on passing bills aligned with our Respect Agenda, including substantive raises for all public school employees and a significant expansion of state funding for public education.
What results like these tell us is that parents and most Texans agree with our agenda. Importantly, as the Charles Butt Foundation notes, desire for increased state funding for public schools is non-partisan, with two-thirds or more of Democrats, Republicans, and independents signaling their support.
“As we approach the 2023 Legislative Session, let us focus on actionable areas where Texans agree across party lines and across the state,” writes Shari B. Albright, the president of the Charles Butt Foundation, in the opening of the poll report. “Our report reveals strong support for increasing state funding to pay Texas teachers more, especially our tenured teachers. In addition, Texans and public school parents overwhelmingly support Career and Technical Education (CTE), universal pre-kindergarten access, and mental and physical health support for students.”
Read the full report on the 2023 Texas Education Poll online.