Bernie Sanders Repeatedly Asks Linda McMahon About Teacher Salaries

with that I yield to Senator Sanders thank you Mr chairman um when we talk about education kind of we're looking at it in a vacuum we're talking about the struggles that low-income kids are having and that's true uh but Mrs McMahon you are also aware that in America we have more income and wealth inequality than we've ever had before uh you are aware that we have the highest rate of childhood poverty of almost any major country on Earth you are aware I suspect that teachers are dealing with kids who are literally homeless kids who come

from dysfunctional families where there is violence uh does it concern you in America that we are living in a society where the people on top are doing phenomenally well while 60% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck and how do you think that impacts our educational system thank you very much um senator for that question um first of all let me say that I believe that teaching is one of the most noble professions that we have in our country and we have so many good dedicated teachers to help our students I do think that we

are trapping students often in low performing schools and that's why the president has such a strong policy towards school choice but you will agree I don't mean to interrupt you but you will agree that you can't just look at educ the truth is that middle class upper middle class public schools in America generally do pretty well but if you are homeless if you were a homeless person and you had kids the odds of your kids doing pretty well and I could I'm just asking you what do you think about the massive level of income and

wealth inequality the fact that we have the highest rate of childhood poverty is that something you think you might want to pay attention to well certainly um Senator I do believe that we want to make sure that every child in our country has the opportunity to have uh equal access access to equality education and the Department of Education really is not setting economic policy in the country we should focus on educating our children and we should focus on it at the local level let me ask you this you mentioned correctly that we have many great

teachers in America right yes if you as a businesswoman wanted to attract the best and the brightest would you be starting them off after they leave school maybe 50 $60,000 in debt with salaries of 35 40,000 or would you say we respect you talked about teaching being the noblest profession I agree with you would you agree with me support my legislation that says no teacher in America should earn at least $60,000 a year well certainly the pay to teachers is up to the states uh where those teachers reside I do believe we should pay our

teachers fairly they spend so much time with our students and they should be wel compens for paying them fairly nobody in the world will disagree with you I mean the question is if teaching is a noble profession if teaching is an important profession you know should we be paying them salaries commensurate with the value that they of the work that they are doing so I'm asking you a simple question would you recommend to States as as the leader of Education in America that it teaches at least make $60,000 a year I would certainly uh recommend

to stay that teachers be paid what is commensurate with uh the kinds of jobs that are part of their states uh not all states have the same living cost not all states have the same ability to pay teachers but to attract really good teachers and to keep them we should definitely pay them commensurate with the job performance that they uh that they are undertaking millions of young people lowincome people are finding it very difficult to afford to go to college and they're leaving school 50 00 $200,000 in debt uh pel grant program provides assistance to

over 7 million uh lowincome uh young people in this country uh can you guarantee to us uh if you are uh made a secretary of education that no student in America will lose their pel Grant uh as one as the department is dismantled surle the defunding is not the goal here continuation of pale grants I'd actually even like to see an expansion of pale grants I'd like to see short-term certificates for pel grants for students who aren't going on to four-year universities who could have the opportunity to use pel grants for skill-based learning so what

I'm hearing you say is pel grant program will continue under your Administration yes okay um you uh Mr Cass uh Senator Cassidy asked you an important question and that is do you agree let me just once again get your your feelings on this that if there is a movement to abolish the Department of Education it has to go through the United States Congress yes the it is set up uh by the United States Congress and we work with Congress uh it clearly cannot be shut down without it thank you Senator Senator