Poll: Voters divided on school vouchers

Tennesseans are divided on Gov. Bill Haslam’s plan to use tax money to send children to private schools, but the views differ by race, according to a poll from Middle Tennessee State University.

In a phone survey last month of 650 randomly selected adults, 46 percent opposed the plan and 40 percent supported it; 12 percent had no opinion, and 2 percent did not answer. The poll’s margin of error is 4 percentage points.

“Statewide, it’s too close to call,” said Ken Blake, director of the poll at MTSU. “Opponents of the plan outnumbered supporters in our sample, but it’s unclear whether the same is true among all Tennesseans. They appear evenly, or nearly evenly, divided.”

In a breakdown by race, 63 percent of nonwhite voters favor the plan compared to 37 percent of white voters. The remainder did not answer.

Voters were asked this question: “Suppose a child in Tennessee is poor and is attending a public school that is among the bottom 5 percent in overall achievement. Would you favor or oppose using state money to send such a child to a private school?”

Jane Roberts “I don’t know why they want to rename the park,” said Aurelian Carrigan, visiting Confederate Park. The Memphis resident was meeting friends downtown for lunch when he stopped to photograph the landmark. “It’s been that way so long. It’s history,” he said.