In their article, "Is the Liberal Defense of Public Schools a Fantasy?" presented in this v58, 2017 issue of "Critical Studies in Education," Michael S. Merry and William S. New offer what they call a "leftist critique" of standard liberal defenses of the public school. In this response, Kathleen Knight Abowitz questions Merry and New's interpretation of her work, and offers an alternative perspective. Abowitz also writes that she wishes to question the grounds of the hysteresis critique lodged in the article. She concludes her response by saying a critically-informed reconstruction of public school ideals and governance structures was more her purpose in "Publics for Public Schools" rather than "liberal defense," or "fantasy" as Merry and New assert. [For "Is the Liberal Defense of Public Schools a Fantasy?," see EJ1153721.]