Bernie Sanders’s Position on Education

At the third Democratic primary debate on December 19, 2015, Bernie Sanders talked about his proposal to provide free college tuition. His proposal is to put a speculation tax on wall street , raise very substantial sums of money, not only make public colleges and universities tuition-free, but also substantially lower interest rates on student debt.  On December 11, 2015, Sanders wrote to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo) to ask him to support salary increases for City University of New York (CUNY) professors.  Sanders cites, As a college degree becomes increasingly important for economic security in our vastly unequal society, CUNY has historically represented the possibility that a college education of the highest quality could be accessible to all. It should continue to represent that possibility. That is why I (Sanders) am troubled by New York State’s refusal so far to invest in a fair contract for the university’s faculty and staff.

In an op-ed in The Washington Post on October 22, 2015, Sanders advocated for tuition-free public colleges and universities.  Sanders wrote,  that an important pathway to the middle class now runs through higher education, but that the rising costs are making it harder and harder for ordinary Americans to get the education they want and need. He states that in 1978, it was possible to earn enough money to pay for a year of college tuition just by working a summer job that paid minimum wage. Today, it would take a minimum wage worker an entire year to earn enough to cover the annual in-state tuition at a public university. And that’s why so many bright young people don’t go to college, don’t finish or graduate deeply in debt.

Sander’s voted against the No Child Left Behind Act, which became a law on January 8, 2002.