Bernies Sanders’s campaign has proposed plans for the desegregation of US schools, which will allocate an additional billion-dollar for magnet schools. The plan is part of Sanders campaign promises, which he plans to implement once he is elected as the President.
More than 65 years after the Brown versus Board of Education Supreme Court ruling that segregation in schools is unconstitutional, the matter continues to divide the US. Since then, multiple court rulings and objections from the public has rendered integration of schools a blow. Bernie Sanders, however, has promised to address this problem through investments aimed at integration.
Sanders boasts of a record in fighting for racial integration in schools, which, for instance, landed him in trouble in 1963. Ten years after the 1954 supreme court ruling, Sanders was 21 years when he picketed against segregation of one of the largest school districts in America. During the confrontation with the police, he was whisked by two officers after he resisted the arrest and a snap was taken back then has come to define Sanders as a civil rights activist.
Bernie’s desegregation plan
Fast forward to 2020, where the state of affairs that he advocated for in 1963 is yet to be achieved. In fact, Sanders has pointed out that the dream of desegregating schools has not been achieved and still remains far from realization.
The 2020 Democratic Party’s primary presidential candidate has highlighted his plans to ensure that the goals are achieved. He has been very critical of charter schools, which have not done much to address segregation.
However, it is his support of the magnet schools that have gone unnoticed and mostly under the radar. These schools total more than 4,300 in the US and serve more than 3.5 million students across the country. They were built to try and address the racial disparities experienced in schools and also promote integration.
Funding magnet schools
The Sanders campaign has explored plans to fund these schools with billion-dollar additional funding. These would go a long way in expanding the schools and also achieving the goal of desegregation in schools.
However, magnet schools’ support is not universal across the country. The schools have faced scrutiny, with some arguing that it does not promote desegregation while others outright reject integration.
Opposition to Bernie’s plan
While addressing these concerns, Sanders stated, “Persistent school segregation hasn’t happened by accident but rather is the
direct result of policy decisions made in the courts and state legislatures and in Washington, D.C. We cannot tolerate separate and unequal schools.
The opposition to measures such as magnet schools and desegregation of schools highlights just how difficult it will be for him to pass legislation if elected to be the President. However, all indication of the Sanders campaign has shown that he is optimistic that, if he is elected, he will be able to address these issues.
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