Bill Phillis: Our Great American Public Schools Will Prevail
A couple of weeks ago, Bill Phillis and I had a public dialogue in Columbus, Ohio. Bill has devoted his life to improving public education for all children. He has fought for equitable and adequate funding. Someone asked him, he said, when he would retire. He said, “When I’m finished. The job is not yet done.” Like me, he believes that the recent and current efforts to privatize public schools is floundering and will fail.
Privatizers cannot destroy the great public common school system
Super rich folks and foundations have poured billions into the subsidization and promotion of charters, vouchers, education savings accounts, tuition tax credits, state takeover mechanisms and portfolio districts. Federal and state governments, contrary to education provisions in state constitutions, have poured hundreds of billions of dollars into these private ventures that undermine the fiscal and civic integrity of school districts. The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) has churned out hundreds of anti-public school model bills copied by state legislatures throughout the nation.
But, like Old Glory (our flag), the great American public common school system is surviving and thriving in spite of the bombardment from powers foreign to it. An overwhelming majority of the American people love the common school.
Americans are awakening to the reality that the private alternatives are parasitic on the public system. Citizens are finally pushing back. At the same time, privatizers are ramping up their efforts. They see their cash cows and the subsidization of their private agendas melting away and thus are in a panic mode.
The privatizers can’t win the battle. Most Americans love the great American public common school system.
William L. Phillis | Ohio Coalition for Equity & Adequacy of School Funding | 614.228.6540| ohioeanda@sbcglobal.net| www.ohiocoalition.org
