Parents in Utah were surveyed to find out whether they were happy with their local schools. What they told us is as follows:

 Parents in Utah were surveyed to find out whether they were happy with their local schools. What they told us is as follows:

According to a recent survey of Utahns with school-age children, 84% said they are happy with their local schools, with 43% saying they are "very satisfied."

Rebecca Martin has a strong commitment to public education; in fact, she is now in her third year as president of the Parent Teacher Student Association at Hillcrest High School.

Two years as PTA president at the elementary school level and two years at the middle school level came before that.

She said that her motivation is a result of her personal stake in the education her four children got in public schools.

Her three other children are Hillcrest grads, two of whom are serving on church missions and the other is a student at BYU. Her youngest kid, Joshua, is a junior at Hillcrest.

It also has to do with her steadfast faith in the public school system.

"I like that everybody who want to engage in our educational system is welcome to attend classes and study. "I think education is about expanding our minds," Martin said.

According to her, the Canyons School District has provided her family with all the educational tools they have needed, including extracurricular activities, extracurricular clubs, and sports possibilities.

"They've just been able to participate in a wide range of extracurricular activities, including theater, athletics, and academics. "The public school has fulfilled all our requirements outside of the educational system," she said.

In a recent survey, parents of children in school expressed general satisfaction with their local schools. The survey was done for the Deseret News and the Hinckley Institute of Politics.

The study found that 84% of respondents were happy with their local schools, with 43% calling themselves "very satisfied" and 41% calling themselves "somewhat satisfied." The margin of error for the 311 parents surveyed by Dan Jones & Associates was 5.56%.

Five percent reported being "somewhat unsatisfied," while eight percent reported being "very unsatisfied."

The Utah Education Association's president, Renée Pinkney, said that the survey findings support "what we already know, both parents and children are really happy with their neighborhood public schools." They adore the instructors who work with them. They like the relationship that the school has with the larger community, she said.

She noted that this is particularly true in rural areas where schools serve as important hubs for community gatherings, whether people are coming to see a school play or a football game.

There is a great feeling of community there. The notion that educators and parents collaborate to ensure the success, well-being, and happiness of their students and children. It's simply so crucial, all those things," she said. 

The poll's findings show that 78% of registered voters with school-age children send their kids to regular public schools, 7% send their kids to public charter schools, 3% send their kids to private schools, and 13% homeschool.

The poll's findings indicate that there isn't much enthusiasm for the new Utah Fits All Scholarship, which is set to debut in the autumn of next year. Applying for state assistance allows parents to receive up to $8,000 for private school tuition, homeschooling, or other educational services.

Eight percent of parents who answered to the survey said they "definitely" do apply for the choice scholarship, compared to sixty-five percent who indicated they do not intend to. Eight percent replied they didn't know, and 19% said "maybe."

More than 25% of the participants intend to apply or express interest in the offered alternative.

"Those figures give me hope, and it makes sense. Families from all throughout the state have been emailing me since I passed the bilI, inquiring about how to apply for the scholarship and if it would be available in the autumn, she added. The initiative will start in the autumn of 2024 in accordance with the law.

Pierucci noted that many parents have indicated that "they're excited about an alternative option that helps them customize their kids' education" based on "organic feedback" that she has received.

Due to HB215's extensive expansion of the use of public funds for private schooling options beyond current programs for families with disabled children, Utah's education policies have undergone a radical shift. In its inaugural year, the Utah Fits All Scholarship program may benefit over 5,000 students.

Martin declared her unwavering opposition to HB215, which the Utah Legislature approved early in the regular session of 2023. The bill also increased the compensation of licensed instructors by six thousand dollars.

Families "whose needs are being met in the public school system" are probably the ones represented by the 65% of parents surveyed who said they do not intend to apply for the scholarship. Martin expressed his opinion that the Utah fits all scholarship is an effort, at best misguided, to divert funding from our public school system to other educational institutions with much less accountability.

According to Pinkney, the poll results would probably vary greatly depending on one's location. The local public schools in rural Utah are very important to the communities. on such places, there are less options than on the Wasatch Front, save for home schooling and online learning, even if they would be qualified to apply.

"I believe the data is telling me that neighborhood public schools are the best way to educate children in Utah, that very few people are intending to apply for the Utah Fits All Scholarship, and that we are aware of the community's support for our public schools." That's basically what this data indicates, according to Pinkney, even without knowing all of the specifics of the world they surveyed.

The fact that public schools are "the melting pot of America" and where anybody can obtain "a free, quality education and be together with your neighbors, with your friends with people who are like you and not like you," according to Martin, is one of the things she loves about them.

Martin expressed her satisfaction as a parent, saying her kids "have been exposed to lots of different people that are not like them." They have had the opportunity to attend school alongside others who have diverse backgrounds and goals for their education, and they have gained knowledge from that experience. Nobody in the hallways looks like them as they're moving through them. Since they've had the opportunity to interact with individuals from many nations, faiths, backgrounds, and socioeconomic classes, their experience has grown significantly.