NY voters trust Cuomo more than teachers' union

NEW YORK — A new poll finds that New York state voters trust Gov. Andrew Cuomo to safeguard education more than they trust the teachers' union.

The Quinnipiac University poll released on Feb. 16 finds that 50 percent of voters trust Cuomo more “to protect the interests of New York State public school students." Thirty-eight percent trust the teachers' union more.

Just 45 percent of those polled said they approve of the way Cuomo is handling education, while 42 percent disapprove. But they support Cuomo's school reform proposals by large margins.

Voters support merit pay for “outstanding" teachers by 2-1. And two-thirds of voters said they support making it easier to fire teachers.

Pollsters surveyed 1,233 voters from Feb. 8 to 13. The margin of error is plus or minus 2.8 percentage points.