Elizabeth Warren, Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders – Scott Olson/Getty Images

For the longest time, the Democratic party has been a huge proponent of public charter schools because of their emphasis on breaking class divides and providing educational alternatives while still remaining in the public school community. This is starting to change, however, as the current Republican Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos, has also come forward showing support for the platform and hopes to establish as many as possible during her time in office. Mostly, this isn’t the big topic that’s on the minds of most candidates right now, but the extreme shift in some of the more left-wing members of the pool will mean those who consider themselves most liberal will have to make the concession of less equitable academic choice down the line, but they can expect much stronger and stable public schools as money becomes more focused toward one institution per community. The Washington Post has neatly divvied the candidates out into groups representing different levels of support, and it seems to mirror the gradient transition from moderation to progressivism that’s present in the DNC.

Mike Bloomberg Addresses the NAACP – Education Next

Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, the dynamic duo, have both come forward stating their disapproval of charter schools, branding them as for-profit money holes that will serve as a detriment to mainstream public schools. They want to ban for-profit charters immediately, and they want to pause funding to not-for-profit institutions as soon as possible. Joe Biden and Tom Steyer, in partial contrast, are also fans of removing for-profit institutions but draw the line there. They want to implement more systems that hold not-for-profit charters accountable and keep them performing at the same level at which we would expect our public schools to function. Mike Bloomberg, all by himself, is a proponent of all forms of charters, and he claims that charters provide the opportunity for students to perform at the highest level possible. In a speech he delivered to the NAACP in 2019, he argues that charter schools are currently under-funded and that we need to provide more opportunities for students to branch out with their education.

Ultimately, the decision is down to how much each candidate likes institutions that aren’t directly developed and supported by the government. Since charter schools technically get their endowments by taking a chunk out of what the government gives to local public schools, many of the more liberal democrats are struggling to see beyond the idea that this is simply throwing money away. Charter schools are a huge opportunity for students to remain enrolled in a school that doesn’t disadvantage them based on their neighborhood, and not-for-profit schools provide no net loss of money in the educational system. Education needs more funding, period. Where that money goes should be negligible in contrast to the dire need for schools to get a resuscitation, but it’s understandable that those who are concerned with making sure people aren’t pocketing government money are keeping us on a responsible track with our improvements.