Bernie Sanders to call for ban on for-profit charter schools

Sen. Bernie Sanders will unveil a major plan to support public education and rein in privatization on Saturday, CNN reports. Sanders will call for a ban on for-profit charter schools and pledge that, as president, he would refuse to use federal funds to open new charter schools.

On the anniversary weekend of Brown v. Board of Education, Sanders will take up the NAACP’s call for a moratorium on charter school expansion, at least while the schools are audited. Sanders will also propose subjecting charter schools to the same oversight as public schools—something that charter backers have oh-so-mysteriously fought tooth and nail—and transparency measures like financial disclosure and student attrition rates. That oversight and transparency would be combined with requirements for representation of parents and teachers on charter school boards.

Sanders isn’t stopping there. His plan would require the same employment standards at charters as at nearby public schools, combined with support for charter teachers’ union rights. Under Sanders’ proposal, CEO pay would be limited, so we wouldn’t see people running substandard schools and raking in hundreds of thousands of dollars in pay from public education money while underpaying teachers.

While some charter schools are locally run and were started with decent intentions, their spread is attributable to corporate chains, millionaire and billionaire backers, profiteers, and people looking to undermine public education. Corruption is rampant and charter schools often exclude the most vulnerable students, leaving public schools drained of funds but responsible for an increasingly challenging population. We need a public education system that welcomes all kids, not just the convenient ones.

Sanders’ proposal, as reported, is good stuff. The other candidates in the Democratic primary should be paying attention and joining Sanders in tackling this issue.

from Daily Kos http://bit.ly/2YzQaYg