Bernie Sanders Vigorously Criticizes Charter Schools
Despite the outrage of the privatization movement, which attacked Bernie Sanders for his position on charters, Sanders doubled down by publishing an article in the San Jose Mercury News reiterating his views.
Here is an excerpt, where he accurately cites the studyby Gordon Lafer on how charters drain money from public schools and the NPE study showing the waste of federal money spent on charters that never opened or closed almost immediately.
My education plan calls for rescinding Donald Trump’s tax breaks and using those resources to triple funding for low-income school districts. We will also institute a national per-pupil funding standard, so that the quality of a child’s education is not contingent on her zip code. Education should be a human right, not a privilege.
In addition, my plan also calls for restrictions on charter school initiatives that siphon resources out of the public education system and resegregating schools.
When parents enroll their children in charter schools, the public funding allocated to those students goes with them. In the Oakland Unified School District, for example, charter schools were costing the district more than $57 million per year. This amount would easily cover the budget shortfall of $56 million over two years that Oakland officials have projected.
Charters are publicly-funded, but they are privately CONTINUE READING: Bernie Sanders Vigorously Criticizes Charter Schools | Diane Ravitch's blog
