The state's largest school district found a nugget within a poll gauging interest in magnet programs: People would favor increased spending to improve schools.

A Dan Jones & Associates survey of 1,636 residents in the growing Jordan School District found 77 percent favor increased funding for district schools. Seventy-two percent said they would be willing to pay for it.

In an open-answer question, 18 percent said raising taxes was the way Jordan District could provide the best education possible in the coming years — the most common answer provided. Other responses: 12 percent talked about teachers, 10 percent said smaller classes, 9 percent said build new schools, 5 percent said use dollars more wisely and 4 percent said reduce administration. Seventeen percent said they didn't know.

"(With) such a large sample size, we feel confident about the data," Pat Jones, Dan Jones & Associates co-owner and focus group moderator, told the board of education Tuesday.

So does this mean a tax hike is coming?

"We have not even talked about that. That's just an interesting byproduct . . . that people seem to be willing to raise taxes to help with education," board President Peggy Jo Kennett said.

But the district is growing — by at least 1,700 students this school year alone — and enrollment is expected to top 79,000 by next fall, spokeswoman Melinda Colton said.

"We will have to consider going out for bonds," Kennett said. "We haven't discussed a time frame yet . . . but we know it will probably have to come sooner than we anticipated."

Voters in February 2003 approved a $281 million bond to build 22 schools.

The study, which Jones said also included focus groups, was commissioned by the school district to gauge interest in magnet programs. The survey included at least 200 people from each high school area.

Sixty-one percent said they favor more elementary magnet schools, such as the ALPS program or those focusing on disciplines such as arts, math or science. Three-fourths of those surveyed favored more in secondary schools.

Space in the ALPS program is limited, and many wind up on waiting lists. ALPS takes 875 elementary students; 1,608 have applied for next year's program, the district reports.

The district plans to work toward creating new programs at Ridgecrest, Riverton and Sunrise elementaries. The programs would start next school year for first through fourth grades; fifth and sixth grades would be added in the two years after that. Another program could be set up in the northwest area, too, perhaps by fall 2007.

Also found in the survey: Big class sizes are a big issue, as class sizes received low approval ratings.

Forty-five percent said they favored tax credits for private school tuition, up from 39 percent in 2003.

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