Illinoisans strongly support public education, are against ICE near schools and federal funding cuts

SPRINGFIELD - The Illinois Education Association (IEA) released its eighth annual IEA State of Education report today, Mon., Feb. 23. It's the only bipartisan poll monitoring Illinoisans' views on all aspects of public schools. The findings were shared during a news conference at 10:30 a.m. today on Zoom.

The poll results show a majority of Illinoisans are opposed to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in their communities and are worried about ICE presence near schools. Illinoisans also stand in opposition to the cuts to United States Department of Education (USED) funding, Medicaid and SNAP benefits.

"We know that Illinoisans support public education, but this polling takes it a step further. It shows us our state cares deeply about our students, schools and our communities," IEA President Karl Goeke said. "ICE has no place in or near our schools. Students cannot learn when they are afraid and educators cannot effectively teach when students don't feel safe. Schools should be a safe place for our students, their parents and our teachers and staff."

The data also show Illinoisans know a strong school system leads to stronger communities. A large majority of Illinoisans said the quality of their public schools has an impact on the quality of their communities. They also believe their home's value is directly tied to the quality of their local public school, even if they don't have school-aged children.

"The people of Illinois get it. They understand high-quality public schools mean more than just a great education for all students, they can lift up an entire community," Goeke said. "We know people look at the quality of the public schools when they're choosing where to live because it means their homes are worth more. Investing in our public schools means we are investing in our entire community. We should absolutely be fully funding our schools. Everybody wins. It's a no-brainer."

When it comes to fully funding our schools and staff, Illinoisans believe teachers, paraprofessionals and adjuncts deserve better wages.

Key points from the IEA State of Education report include:

• 85% of Illinoisans believe that students have a right to a public education;
• 84% of the public say they are very worried about the teacher shortage;
• 79% of Illinoisans are very worried about shortages for school support staff positions like paraprofessionals, bus drivers and librarians.
• 63% of the public believe adjuncts should be paid the same as tenured professors when they are teaching the same courses;
• 69% believe funding for public schools should increase;
• 66% support pension reform to allow those in the Tier 2 pension system to retire before the age of 67;
• 80% believe we should be teaching about slavery in public schools;
• 72% believe we should be teaching about racism public schools;
• 53% are opposed to ICE arresting and deporting immigrants in their communities;
• 57% are worried about ICE arresting them, a child, another parent, or school employees on school property;
• 64% are opposed to the federal government's cuts to Medicaid and SNAP benefits;
• 65% are opposed to the S. Department of Education funding cuts.

The poll, conducted by both Democrat polling firm, Normington, Petts and Associates, and Republican pollster, Mercury Consulting, surveyed 1,000 Illinoisans Jan. 26-29. It has a margin of error of +/- 3.1 percent with 95 percent confidence.

"This poll asks questions we haven't seen asked in Illinois, including questions about ICE presence near schools. By basing it on U.S. Census data, it gives us an honest look at what Illinoisans think about all things public education," pollster Jill Normington of Normington, Petts and Associates said.

"Illinoisans absolutely support public education in our state, even those residents without school-aged children see the benefit of living near good schools. They know their home values are tied to their neighborhood schools, and that sends a clear message about the importance of investing in the public school system," said Pat Brady, of Mercury Consulting.

View more information on this year's results, as well as previous years.

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The 135,000 member Illinois Education Association (IEA-NEA) is the state's largest union. IEA represents Pre K-12 teachers outside the city of Chicago and education support staff, higher education faculty, retired education employees and students preparing to become teachers, statewide.