Florida contemplates one more step in the ideological takeover of public education. Sue Kingery Woltanski explains why the Phoenix Declaration is bad news for American values. Reposted with permission.
A blueprint for ideological control — and the next phase in dismantling public education.
Next week, Florida’s appointed Commissioner of Education and his ideologically aligned State Board of Education will vote to “ratify and adopt” The Phoenix Declaration — the Heritage Foundation’s “Vision for Education.” The move cements Florida’s march toward a full ideological takeover of its public schools.
This should come as no surprise.
In August, newly appointed Board Chair Ryan Petty, in his very first action, proposed adopting The Phoenix Declaration as “a framework for our work here as members of the Florida State Board of Education.” He told his colleagues, “We live in a time of moral and political crises when too many schools have lost their way. But this moment of challenge is also a moment of opportunity.”
If approved, Florida will become the first state to formally sign on to the Declaration. At this point, the Board might as well wear Heritage Foundation patches on their uniforms.
Both Petty and former Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. are listed among the Declaration’s signatories, alongside organizations such as The 1776 Project Foundation, United States Christian Education Network, Center for Christian Virtue, and individuals from Moms for Liberty, PragerU, and others. It reads like a who’s who of far-right education influencers — from privatization advocates like Erika Donalds and Corey DeAngelis (a contributor to Project 2025) to Christian nationalists such as Scott Yenor of Society for American Civic Renewal (SACR) and the Claremont Institute.
On the surface, The Phoenix Declaration sounds relatively harmless. Like Petty, it opens with the claim that America faces “moral and political crises” in education, asserting that schools have “lost their way.” It outlines broad, feel-good principles — “parental choice,” “objective truth,” “character formation,” “cultural transmission,” and “citizenship” — all framed in the language of virtue and tradition.
But beneath that polished rhetoric lies a clear ideological agenda.
As edublogger/writer Peter Greene observed:
“The Phoenix Declaration is artfully done… much of it uses broad enough terms that everyone can agree with what it says even as they totally disagree about what it means. It blows its anti-woke dog whistle hard enough to awaken the oldest, deafest labrador… But mostly it assumes that all reasonable Americans see it this way, and while it name checks ‘civil disagreement’ at one point, it doesn’t particularly embrace pluralism or diversity as American virtues and values.”
Still think this is just a harmless framework? Consider Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts’ own words when unveiling the plan:
“For too long, education freedom advocates have been on defense, constantly reacting to the radical Left’s latest ideological assault. It’s time to go on offense. School leaders, educators, school board members, and policymakers need a set of shared, unshakable principles to reclaim education and put students — not leftist activism — first.”
In other words, Heritage is explicitly positioning the Phoenix Declaration as part of a political campaign to “reclaim” education — not a neutral statement of values.
Historian Tad Stoermer has described it as “a sophisticated rebranding of culture-war politics — using lofty rhetoric about virtue and excellence to conceal an authoritarian, nationalist agenda aimed at censoring diverse histories and undermining public education.”
He identifies five key dangers:
- Ideological Control Disguised as Reform – It hides a political agenda behind the language of “excellence” and “virtue.”
- Rewriting and Sanitizing History – It promotes a selective, patriotic version of U.S. history that erases uncomfortable truths.
- Patriotism as Indoctrination – It replaces informed citizenship with unquestioning nationalism.
- The “Parental Rights” Trojan Horse – It uses parental choice as a cover for censorship and defunding public schools.
- The Myth of Objective Truth – It defines “truth” through ideology, excluding dissenting perspectives.
Stoermer concludes “The Phoenix Declaration lays the groundwork for dismantling American education under the guise of reform… The erosion of public education, the attacks on historical integrity, and the narrowing of acceptable narratives are all part of this broader dogmatic assault.”
In Florida, that agenda already feels well underway. But should it be formally adopted and ratified by our State Board? Absolutely not.
Realistically, what can we do?
As Stoermer urged, expose the agenda. This is my attempt to do just that. You can help by sharing this piece, contacting members of the Florida State Board of Education, or — if you’re anywhere near Crawfordville next Thursday — attending the meeting and speaking up.
Public education belongs to all of us. Let’s try to keep it that way.