Thank you, Meek Mill — a phrase I never expected to say | Jenice Armstrong

I never thought I’d say this but: May we get a round of applause for Meek Mill, Kevin Hart and Sixers co-owner Mike Rubin for their generous offer to fund $15 million in scholarships so that local students can attend private school?

I haven’t been shy about my criticism of Mill’s use of the n-word in his lyrics as well as the p-word, the b-word, the d-word, and for referring to women as “hoes.”

Still, this scholarship announcement is the best education news to come out of Philly in a long, long time.

Not everyone agrees. On social media and in an Inquirer op-ed some parents have argued that by allocating funds for scholarships to private schools, the talented trio has abandoned the systemic funding issues plaguing the Philadelphia School District.

» READ MORE: Meek Mill, Kevin Hart, and Michael Rubin miss the point with $15 million scholarship donations | Opinion

But I don’t want to hear it. The last time I checked, critics don’t get to tell these uber-successful men how and where they should spend their money. If Mill, Hart, and Rubin — a rapper, comedian, and an entrepreneur — choose to donate $15 million in scholarships to 110 local private and parochial schools for underprivileged public school students, then that’s their prerogative.

It’s not as if they don’t know the real deal. These multimillionaires grew up here and have never turned their backs on their hometown. Hart graduated from George Washington High School in the Northeast in 1997; Mill went to Strawberry Mansion, both troubled schools. Rubin, who’s from Lafayette Hill, briefly attended Villanova University before dropping out.

Besides, this isn’t first donation to help the always-struggling school district. In 2020, Mill and Rubin created a $2 million scholarship fund to help underprivileged students during the pandemic.

I don’t blame Meek, Hart, and Rubin for choosing to help kids attend private schools. It’s hard, even for me, an advocate of public education, to have much confidence in the Philadelphia School District these days.

» READ MORE: ‘Stubborn inequity’: 6 in 10 Philly kids still attend low-performing schools, report says

Consider the vast differences in test scores between Overbrook High School and Lower Merion High School located just under four miles away. In Lower Merion, which is predominantly white and wealthy, 95% of students meet standards in state English exams, 85% in Algebra I exams and 92% in biology exams.

Meanwhile, at nearby Overbrook, which is predominantly Black and lower income, only 6% of students pass English exams, 5% pass Algebra I exams and 2% pass biology exams.

Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. revealed these staggering statistics while testifying earlier this month during a landmark school funding case underway in Harrisburg. The lawsuit, filed seven years ago by six school districts, groups including the Pennsylvania NAACP, and parents, alleges the state’s funding system is both inadequate and inequitable, and violates the state constitution.

It’s no secret that there’s a vast achievement gap between the two schools. But Hite’s testimony shed a stark light on the outrageous and unacceptable disparity.

How long are people supposed to wait for things to improve? Philly schools have struggled for decades.

Parents of students currently enrolled in under-performing schools don’t have the luxury of waiting around for things to get better. Six in 10 city children attend a low-performing school, according to a depressing study released Wednesday by the Philadelphia School Partnership.

Something has to give. That’s why I applaud the fact that Mill, Hart, and Rubin are stepping up in a big way for their city. Because of their incredible generosity, low-income families who have had no choice but to enroll their children in under-performing schools will now have the option of getting a private school education — where the likelihood of smaller class sizes and more resources is great — just like higher income parents do.

Details on how these funds will be allocated are still sketchy. I tried numerous times but have been unable to get anyone with the REFORM Alliance — the social justice nonprofit that Mill and Rubin co-lead — to explain how the scholarships will be distributed or what the criteria will be for students to qualify for them. With their track record of giving in 2020, I’m hopeful this will be an even more impactful gift.

After all the times I got on Mill about his music lyrics, I never thought I’d have to say this, but thank you, Meek Mill. Thank you too, Kevin Hart. And thank you, Sixers co-owner Mike Rubin. I look forward to seeing how this new initiative pans out. Finally, a large swath of Philly students from low-income families will get the same opportunity to learn as those from higher-income families. That’s been a long time coming and for that, I’m grateful.