More than three-fourths of Canyons residents surveyed said they would support a hypothetical $200 million bond with no tax increase to repair school buildings in Canyons School District, a Dan Jones & Associates survey shows.
Of 402 registered voters surveyed, 41 percent said they definitely would support a $200 million bond that would not raise taxes. Another 35 percent said they probably would support such a bond, according to the survey, conducted Feb. 16-23. Seven percent said they probably would oppose such a bond, and 11 percent said they definitely would oppose such a bond. Two percent said it depends, and 3 percent didn’t know. Dr. Jones called the level of support “off the charts.” The survey has a plus- or minus 5 percent error margin.
In addition, 93 percent of respondents said they are somewhat or very likely to cast a ballot if a bond election were held in June, and 98 percent said they are somewhat or very likely to vote in a November bond election. Respondents also were asked about potential bond spending. Eighty-two percent said they definitely or probably favor putting air-conditioning in schools, 81 percent support remodeling or replacing older schools, and 79 percent support building new schools to address student enrollment growth.
Additionally, respondents rated their neighborhood schools on a scale of 1 to 5. Respondents gave an average 4.04 rating to schools as a safe environment. They rated schools’ willingness to work with parents at 3.87; teacher quality at 3.83; quality of education compared to other Utah districts at 3.74; school administrator quality at 3.48; and class size at 3.03. Respondents also were asked to rank educational quality of their neighborhood schools and other school choice options. They gave neighborhood Canyons schools an average 3.78 rating. They gave private schools a 4.04 rating, charter schools a 3.72 rating, and home schools a 2.72 rating.
The survey also found 72 percent of respondents are satisfied with Canyons School District operations. This survey included registered voters, half of whom have no children or grandchildren in Canyons Schools. A poll of Canyons District parents conducted Jan. 30 Feb. 1 revealed an 81 percent approval rating among parents alone.
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