Rodger Murphey, spokesman for the U.S. Department of Education, said the federal government provides only about 6 percent of the funding for local school districts. The rest comes from local property taxes and bond issues. Muskett said he would think twice before voting to have his property taxes raised. The property tax issue is the biggest reason for the differences in attitudes between seniors and the general population, according to John Gist, economic policy researcher with the American Association of Retired Persons. Gist said that although the Medill survey asked who would be willing to support federal increases in school money, many elderly Americans associate public school funding with their property taxes and shy away from the increases.
Property taxes are the primary source of school funding.
Now that many of the home owners are on fixed incomes, their homes are assessed at high values, raising property taxes to an uncomfortable level. They happen to have a higher home-ownership rate. MacManus, however, said she has heard the property tax explanation before and doesn't believe it. The elderly are not as concerned with taxes as AARP research suggests, she said. Regardless of the reason for the gap, support for public schools for both the general population and the elderly population is higher than expected, according to Mary Elizabeth Teasley, director of government relations for the National Education Association.