How Bernie Sanders’ Wife Destroyed Burlington College

Bernie Sanders | Jane Sanders | Burlington College | Closing

How Bernie Sanders’ Wife Destroyed Burlington College

A major pillar of the Bernie Sanders 2016 campaign is free college. 

In perhaps the most tragically ironic political metaphor of this election, Burlington College, a small privately owned school in Vermont is now going out of business, largely due to decisions made by Bernie Sanders’ wife, Jane, who served as the college’s president for seven years.

When Jane Sanders was hired by Burlington College in 2004, the school was already facing financial problems but was able to maintain day to day operations for several years.

Things began to change in 2010, when Jane Sanders led the school to a financial decision which would forever alter the school’s destiny.

Under her leadership, Burlington College purchased a lakefront property from the Catholic Diocese of Burlington for $10 million dollars with the goal of expanding the school’s campus.

The decision was considered risky at the time because the school made the purchase by going into debt.
...Sanders resigned in the fall of 2011 and left the school with a golden parachute of $200,000.

...Coupled with the continuing bad financial news for Burlington College, came allegations from the Catholic Diocese of Burlington, which in April of this year announced they wanted Jane Sanders investigated for fraud.

Heat Street reported:

Catholic Parishioners: Investigate Bernie Sanders’ Wife for Fraud

The diocese did not respond to a request for an interview. But a source with direct knowledge of the diocese’s involvement in the land acquisition says Burlington College almost immediately struggled to meet its obligations.

“It was within a relatively short time after closing [the deal], they were experiencing financial problems that made it impossible to pay the diocese,” the source says, adding that Burlington soon went into default mode on its loan.

Parishioners now say that to secure loans to buy the land, Ms. Sanders misrepresented the amount that had been pledged to the college in its fundraising push.

Additionally, the Washington Free Beacon reported in January of this year that under Jane Sanders’ tenure, Burlington College steered funds to her daughter and a family friend who had been an adviser to Bernie Sanders while he was mayor of Burlington...

...The Sanders campaign and their allies in media may try to spin this unfortunate situation but the bottom line in undeniable. 

Burlington College is a victim of poor decisions and crony politics on the behalf of Jane Sanders.

The fact that her husband wants to transform the way higher education is paid for nationwide should give every American voter pause.