GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP — A poll of the parents of New Jersey high school students said education was the top state budget priority and one that is underfunded.
The poll, commissioned by The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey and performed by Zogby International pollsters, contacted about 2,000 parents across the state between July 15 and 27 and had a margin of error of about 3.5 percent.
The poll found that about 78 percent of parents said the state should spend more money on education. About 31 percent said an acceptable trade-off would be infrastructure funding, while 26 percent said less state money should go to small business programs and 22 percent suggested higher taxes.
Asked what their top three budget priorities were, 60 percent named kindergarten through high school education, while 54 percent named higher education and 37 percent said health care.
When it came to paying for school, 67 percent said they would rely on scholarships, while more than 30 percent said children would be paying their own way.
The poll found 78 percent of New Jersey residents said their children would be attending a college or university in New Jersey. While most said it would be a four-year school, more than half said it would a public institution.
