Public education is our inheritance — and our responsibility

By Reginald L. Streater
The Philadelphia Tribune
https://www.phillytrib.com/

As a graduate of Germantown High School and Leeds Middle School, and a father of children currently enrolled in the School District of Philadelphia, public education isn’t just an idea to me — it’s part of my story. It shaped my life, and now it’s shaping my children’s.

For me, this is personal.

As a young Black student growing up in this city, I wasn’t born into wealth or privilege. But I did have teachers who believed in me, schools that built my confidence, and a public education system that — despite its flaws — gave me the tools to believe in myself and move forward.

That foundation allowed me to build a successful career in the restaurant business and later become a lawyer.

Public education was my launchpad.

That’s why, for me, this conversation about school facilities isn’t just about buildings — it’s about protecting the launchpad for the next generation. The same launchpad that helped me see a world beyond my neighborhood and gave me the confidence to explore it.

There is no question that our school buildings face several challenges. Repairs and upkeep have been underfunded for decades and limited financial resources continue to be a challenge as temporary COVID funding expires. The cost of modernizing every building in our portfolio stretches into the billions.

But our work cannot be reduced to spreadsheets and numbers.

The conversation must stay focused on our children.

And that means giving them a voice in shaping their educational experiences.

Culture and climate in K–12 schools aren’t just for show or exciting additions — they after and often shape how well children learn and thrive. When students see themselves reflected in curriculum, leadership, and expectations — when schools nurture dignity, belonging, and excellence children feel seen, supported, and ready to succeed in and out of the classroom.

This kind of culture helps young people begin to understand that they have a role to play in shaping their own futures.

That is what it means to educate the whole child.

It is not just about test scores. It is about ensuring that students have the skills to think critically and the values to guide their own decisions. We must equip our young people with the tools to examine ideas, question what doesn’t make sense, confront injustice, and chart their own paths forward.

Our children must graduate not just knowing their letters and numbers, but empowered.

They must be able to interrogate this world — to understand how it works, how power moves, and how they can move within it.

That requires stable school communities. It requires strong relationships with adults. It requires access to arts, athletics, career pathways, and culturally relevant learning environments. It requires school buildings that are safe, modern, and aligned with opportunity.

And it requires vigilance.

We must also remember the sacrifices that made this moment possible. Those who came before us worked, through the courts, in classrooms, and in their communities — to challenge systems that denied equal opportunity, while also shaping structures and policies needed to make that opportunity real.

Landmark decisions that guaranteed equal access to public education were not just milestones, they changed lives. They reflected a broader commitment to ensuring that every child deserves a meaningful and equitable education.

We dishonor those sacrifices if we allow inequity to continue in new forms.

Inequity does not only appear in policies or lines drawn on a map. It can show up in student outcomes, crumbling facilities, under-resourced programs, or instability that disproportionately shapes the experiences of communities.

The work before us is not only fiscal. It is historical.

The Board of Education has spent years sounding the alarm about long-standing underfunding and structural budget challenges. We cannot pretend that every building can be fully modernized under current resources. We cannot ignore enrollment shifts. We cannot wait until financial instability forces decisions upon us.

But we also cannot allow financial pressure to take priority over our mission.

Any action taken under the facilities planning framework must protect students first. We must learn from the disruptions of 2012. We must avoid displacement that fractures communities. We must ensure continuity of academic programming and student support.

As one of nine volunteer board members — and as president — I do this work not for compensation, but because the stakes are generational. A strong public school system strengthens neighborhoods, stabilizes families, and expands economic mobility. It supercharges the momentum we are building as a city.

Our children are worth investing in — irrespective of outcomes. Their humanity is not conditional. Their potential is not conditional. And yet, even by the metrics some demand, progress is happening: graduation rates are rising, dropout rates are declining, and academic achievement is improving.

Imagine what our young people could achieve with fully aligned facilities, sustained funding, and unwavering focus.

As Philadelphia approaches the 250th anniversary of the American republic, Marian Wright Edelman’s words ring true now more than ever “Education is for improving the lives of others and leaving your community and world better than you found it.”

Public education remains our launchpad to achieve this.

It is a public good — and for our communities in particular, it has long been both shield and sword: a shield against exclusion and a sword to carve opportunity.

The conversation about school facilities isn’t about backing down. It’s about responsibly managing our current resources and ensuring that the next generation of our students in Philadelphia leave our schools not only prepared to survive the world — but prepared to question it, shape it and transform it.

That is the work.

And it belongs to all of us.

In that spirit, we invite you to join us for a Town Hall on March 12 at 4 p.m. to further this conversation on the topic of Accelerating Opportunity: District’s Facilities Plan. The Town Hall will feature 90 registered speakers providing public testimony on facilities recommendations.

Those interested in registering to speak can visit https://www.philasd.org/schoolboard/meetings.

Registration will open Monday, March 9, 2026, at 4 p.m.