Ringing the School Bell of Freedom and Opportunity

4 of the earliest school houses in Colonial America, (clockwise from top left) The Bray school of Williamsburg taught enslaved and free black children, The St. Augustine Oldest Wooden School House, the Boston Latin School, and the Staten Island Voorlezer's House. All these schools were in operation decades, some even more than a century before 1776, and some were operated with local tax dollars.

When John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson were writing the Declaration of Independence during the hot summer of 1776, they knew that their ideas would only catch fire and spread if the people could read their words. All three were strong believers in education as necessary for an informed populace.  We honor that understanding and that fervor for democracy today. 

On this 4th of July the prospects for our public schools are dire. The Reconciliation Bill the US Congress passed on July 3, 2025 is designed to destroy public education as we have known it; to impoverish and starve both the public schools and many of the children who attend them. Current political leaders would instead replace our common schools with a for profit set of “choices.” 

But for today, 4 Public Education opts to reflect on both history and the future, and our belief in the power and importance of both a strong free public school system for all, and a government by the people, for the people, and of the people. 

Today we honor the day with reflections from Holly Hazard, our founding President, Board Member Vanessa Hall, and a personal video memoir from Margaret Morrison given at the 2025 Network NOVA Summit.

Thank you all for your support and activism, and for carrying the ideals of July 4th, and Education as a universal human right into our communities.