Bernie Sanders

Subscribe:Support local journalism and get unlimited access to RGJ.com for just 33 cents a week!

Editor's note: This is an opinion column written by one of the Democratic candidates for president of the United States. The Reno Gazette Journal accepts columns from major candidates across the political spectrum, whether left or right, as a way to help inform the voting public.

If we love our country we must love and care for the children of America, who are our future. In Nevada, Vermont and all across our country, we must make high quality education a national priority. Our kids deserve excellent schools, and teaching must once again become a highly respected and supported profession.

Unfortunately, and tragically, that is not the case today.

Instead of attracting the best and the brightest into teaching, we are seeing young people choose other professions which provide them with higher salaries and better working conditions. Over the last 20 years, the average weekly wages of public school teachers have decreased, even as wages for other college graduates have grown. In 1993, teachers made about 5 percent less than other workers with similar education. Today, teachers make 21 percent less — and they now, on average, make less than the typical worker in nearly every state.

Here in Nevada, which has ranked near the bottom for education funding, teachers are paid 17.5 percent less than other college-educated workers. That pay gap persists even after a 2015 tax increase generated much-needed new investments in the state’s public education system.

The result of low teacher pay is that over a third of educators recently surveyed reported working a second job and running up debt just to make ends meet. In more and more places in America, teachers can no longer afford to live in the school districts where they teach. Meanwhile, with states cutting funding for schools, almost 80 percent of teachers asked reported having to purchase school supplies for their students with their own money. In California, some teachers who get sick are forced to pay the cost of their own substitutes.

This is no way to treat the people who are educating the future generations of America, and these financial strains have now created a full-fledged crisis. Today, many regions face teacher shortages, and some estimates find 50 percent of teachers may now retire or leave the profession within five to seven years. This high rate of turnover is more pronounced in low-income communities of color.

The good news is that teachers are courageously fighting back: In marches across the country — including here in Nevada — educators are demanding adequate funding for their schools, better pay and more authority to tailor lesson plans to meet their students’ needs.

More:Billionaires should help pay for affordable housing, Bernie Sanders tells Reno crowd

More:Bernie Sanders stops in Las Vegas on the campaign trail, answers 5 questions from RGJ

Those protests have made real gains — and I applaud Nevada Democratic lawmakers who have been pushing for a teacher pay increase in this year’s legislative session.

As part of my presidential campaign, I have outlined a detailed program which will create the world’s strongest public education system.

When it comes to K-12 education, we will guarantee all teachers a solid starting salary of at least $60,000 so that they are not priced out of their school districts. We will also reverse Donald Trump’s plan to eliminate funding for teacher training and development, and instead we will invest more resources so that our kids have the best educators.

On top of that, we will enforce desegregation court orders, and provide resources to communities that are working to desegregate their schools. We will also triple funding for the major federal program that supports low-income schools and we will create a national per-pupil funding standard. This will make sure every school district has equitable funding.

Beyond that, we must understand that an excellent K-12 education system is no longer good enough. And so our plan also will make public colleges, universities and tech centers tuition free. Every person in this country must be able to get all the education they need, regardless of their income. We will also substantially reduce student debt.

Our plan will also establish universal and affordable childcare. Every working family in this country must be able to send their young children to high quality child care centers. Our children deserve nothing less.

Finally, we are going to make sure that America’s secretary of Education is not someone like Betsy DeVos, the most destructive Education secretary in history. In her place, we are going to have a leader who believes in public education and who understands the challenges facing working families — black, white, Latino, Native American and Asian American.

Together, when we defeat Donald Trump, we can and will create the world-class education system that Americans want and deserve.

Opinion from Cory Booker:My plan to ensure safe, affordable housing for everyone

Opinion from Pete Buttigieg:By enlisting every American, Nevada can continue to lead way on climate

Opinion from Kamala Harris:My homeownership plan and '3AM Agenda'

Opinion from Tom Steyer:Why climate crisis demands urgent action, especially in Nevada

Opinion from Elizabeth Warren:How my plan will fix Nevada housing crisis

Have your say:How to submit an opinion column or letter to the editor