Education: Who's Asking?

The presumption of President Kennedy's proposed program for general federal aid to education is that school boards are crying for help. Last week the 90,000 member National School Boards Association released the first results of a significant poll on the subject:

> Of 13,000 board members so far counted (statistically enough to establish thetrend), 55.2% oppose general aid, 30.6% are for it, the rest are undecided or uninterested. In the West, which least favors aid, the ratio is 65% to 22%. Even in the South, which most favors aid, opponents are in the majority by 42% t032%.

> More than half of the respondents say that over the next five years they can handle needed school construction without federal aid. The same goes for teaching reforms (61%) and teachers' pay (64%). And of those whose districts will need help, the vast majority favor more state, rather than federal, aid.

> As for federal aid to nonpublic schools, 76% of the board members are firmly against it.