Sanders claims charters let Wall Street ‘hijack’ education
Bernie Sanders jumped into the Massachusetts Question 2 fight yesterday, calling on voters to defeat the campaign to lift the cap on charter schools per year, claiming it’s a Wall Street-funded effort that would drain tax dollars from public schools.
“Wall Street must not be allowed to hijack public education in Massachusetts. We must defeat Massachusetts Ballot Question 2. This is Wall Street’s attempt to line their own pockets while draining resources away from public education at the expense of low-income, special-education students and English language learners,” the Vermont U.S. senator said in a statement.
Sanders claimed charter schools in Massachusetts siphon $450 million away from public education — taking a line out of the teachers unions’ playbook. Sanders argued that “the hedge funds and corporate backers” would gain an additional $1 billion over the next 10 years if Question 2 passes.
The progressive former Democratic presidential candidate is a fierce critic of Wall Street and has called to overturn the Citizens United Supreme Court decision that allows corporations to give unlimited donations.
The Yes on 2 campaign, however, shrugged off Sanders’ comments, stating: “We are happy to have a broad and bipartisan coalition of support that includes Governor (Charlie) Baker, Speaker (Robert A.) DeLeo, Congressman (Stephen) Lynch, former U.S. Senator Mo Cowan.”
Richard Gray, director of community organizing for the Annenberg Institute for School Reform, said he wasn’t surprised to see an out-of-state politician weigh in on a Massachusetts question, given the impact Question 2 could have on education policy across states. Both out-of-state supporters of charter schools and national teacher unions have poured money into the campaigns.
“There are discussions in Chicago, California. Ballot initiatives have implications,” Gray told the Herald. “There is a lot of money being spent on this. There is a heightened sense of urgency.”
Question 2 is the most expensive charter school ballot initiative anywhere in the country, the No on 2 campaign says. Proponents have collected $21 million, while the teacher’s union funded opposition has $12 million bankrolled, according to the Office of Campaign and Political Finance.