Sen. Bernie Sanders urges stronger civics education and pushes for tuition-free public colleges

Sen. Bernie Sanders, U.S. Senator from Vermont, told high school students at a virtual town hall that strong civics education and affordable higher education are essential to the state’s future.

Sanders said young people should understand the Constitution and history, and that schools should prepare students for civic life and careers. "You gotta know where we came from as a people," he said, arguing that civic literacy helps sustain democratic norms and participation.

On college costs, Sanders renewed his long-standing advocacy for tuition-free public colleges and universities. He said programs already exist that make some institutions tuition-free for families below income thresholds and noted the University of Vermont’s income-based aid, adding, "if your family makes less than a $100,000 a year ... it is tuition free." He also urged expansion of apprenticeships and cited recently passed legislation to bring funding to Vermont career centers to hire teachers and support vocational training.

Sanders framed affordability as both an individual and state economic issue: keeping graduates in Vermont strengthens the local economy and addresses workforce shortages, especially in health care. He said he has proposed measures to make medical, nursing and pharmacy education tuition-free in exchange for service in underserved areas.

The session included students from Central Vermont Career Center, Northfield High School and other Vermont schools who pressed for concrete steps to expand exchange programs, apprenticeships and career-center funding. Sanders encouraged students to study hard and to use community-based programs — town meetings, clubs and athletics — to build social capital.

The town hall closed with Sanders thanking participants and promising continued attention to education funding and retention of young Vermonters.