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In this episode Paul Lemle, president of the Maryland State Education Association and longtime public-school educator, discusses and assesses the role of public education in sustaining democracy, civic life, and economic stability. Drawing on his personal journey from Jesuit education and music to special education teaching and union leadership, he examines persistent myths about “failing” schools, the realities of funding and resources, the relationship between educators’ working conditions and student learning, and the implications of weakening federal oversight of education. The discussion also explores inequality, segregation, union advocacy, school safety, and why investment in public education remains one of society’s most consequential long-term decisions.