Clinton, Sanders Debate: New Yorkers Sound Off on the Education Issues Important to Them

Presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are currently preparing to hold their debate in Brooklyn in an attempt to win over the hearts and votes of New Yorkers. However, with various educational issues arising, such as the recent opting-out of thousands from the Common Core testing, one cannot stop but think, "what are the candidates planning to do regarding the country's education?"

Local Concerns

Some locals are concerned about the current educational system that New York currently has, reports The 74 Media. Given that the Big Apple currently has 1,800 schools serving more than one million children with each day, people will be concerned about the plans these candidates have.

Rachell Burgos, for example, is a Bronx resident who has two sisters that are still in school. She is hoping that the candidates would push for fairer school funding.

"How do we get more money into those schools that need it, and why do we not have that money there already? They say it's public schooling, but a public school in Brooklyn and a public school where I went to in the Bronx, it's not the same," Burgos said. "I would like to know how they plan to even out that board."

Ben Goldman, a tutor and writer from Astoria, on the other hand, hopes that more will be done for students in lower-income brackets, and hopes that the next president will think about, and act on, this.

"I think there is probably a great degree of helplessness and hopelessness of people who are in the lower-income brackets," Goldman said. "One of the things that helped me was seeing people around me who succeeded quite well and knowing that was possible for me."

"If you grow up in a place where you don't meet anyone like that, you just don't think it's possible," Goldman added.

Challenging Issues

It is reported that Clinton has distanced herself from educational reform simply because she thinks that the government has given too many tests that are just too much for the school children of this nation. According to her husband Bill Clinton, Hillary thinks that the funding spent for such testing can be more helpful if spent in helping teachers to be better in their fields, reports Politico Magazine.

Sanders, on the other hand, has plans to work on making public higher education affordable to everyone, reports the Journal Sentinel. He plans on investing in both educators and students, so that "anyone who wants to attend college can afford to complete a degree."

What do you think? What issue should the two candidates talk about in their New York debate? Share your opinions in the comments section below.