Bernie Sanders provided some further insight into his views on K-12 education by discussing his opinions on charter schools and school vouchers.

For some time, Sanders has made it clear that while he supports public charter schools, he’s against privately-run charter schools being publicly funded.

“I believe in public education; I went to public schools my whole life, so I think rather than give tax breaks to billionaires, I think we invest in teachers and we invest in public education,” Sanders said earlier in the month.

At the CNN Town Hall in Ohio, Sanders reiterated his support of public charter schools and disdain for privately-ran ones.

“I support experimentation, but I do not want to see money leave the public schools,” Sanders said, according to The Seventy-Four. He also said earlier in the month that he does not support school vouchers because he does not believe that public funds should ever be used to send children to private schools. He made it clear that he feels that the public school system is being de-funded on a national level.

According to The Seventy-Four, most charter schools are in fact privately-ran but publicly funded and are open to all students.

Sanders may be confused by how charter schools work because his home-state of Vermont does not have any, instead championing the successes of magnet schools.

"Sanders said he supports the school innovations underway in his home town of Burlington. Several years ago, city officials turned two of the worst-performing schools with the neediest students into magnet campuses, and they began thriving, The Atlantic reported in 2013,” The Seventy-Four said.

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Article by Nicole Gorman, Education World Contributor

3/14/2015