Question: What park is acknowledged as the first publicly funded civic park in the world that the Laird School of Art overlooked? 

Context paragraphs:
George W. Minns: George Washington Minns (October 6, 1813 in Boston, Massachusetts – January 14, 1895 in Brookline, Massachusetts) and graduated from Harvard College with the class of 1836 and received a law degree from the Howard Dane Law School of Harvard.  He practiced law in Massachusetts for several years before moving to California.  After the Gold Rush caused the collapse of his law practice and Minns lost all of his savings, he became a teacher at the Union Grammar School, the first California high school, and became principal of the Normal School the following year.  He was an American teacher, notable for running the Minns Evening Normal School, which was established in San Francisco, California, in 1857 in order to train teachers for the city's public school system.  His normal school, named the California State Normal School, was the first publicly funded institution of higher learning in the state.  George Minns was principal of the school from 1857-1862 and 1865-1866.  The California State Normal School was transferred to the State of California in 1862, and is now known as San José State University.

Laird School of Art: The Laird School of Art was a school of art situated on Park Road North, Birkenhead, Merseyside, England, overlooking Birkenhead Park.  It was the first public school of art outside London and was given to the town by John Laird.  The school opened on 27 September 1871 and was closed in 1979 when it merged with the Birkenhead College of Technology, formerly situated on Borough Road.  The building on Park Road North is used as the John Laird Centre.

Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery: The Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery is a public-private biomedical research partnership that is located on the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus.  It consists of two institutions: the privately funded Morgridge Institute for Research, and the publicly funded Wisconsin Institute for Discovery.  Both institutes opened in 2010.  The publicly funded institute is headed by David Krakauer, and the privately funded institute is led by chief executive officer Brad Schwartz.  Jo Handelsman has been appointed as Director of the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery, effective on February 1, 2017.

Sächsisches Landesgymnasium Sankt Afra zu Meißen: Sächsisches Landesgymnasium Sankt Afra zu Meißen is a boarding school for highly gifted students in the German city of Meissen, Saxony.  Founded in 1543 as "Fürstliche Landesschule" and re-established in 2001, the stated aim of the school is to promote the intellectual and social development of highly gifted students.  The costs for attending the school comply with the maxim of social balance; the boarding and schooling fees are considerably low in contrast to similar institutions.  It is the first publicly funded school for highly gifted students in Germany and is a role model for similar schools.

Victoria Park Collegiate Institute: Victoria Park Collegiate Institute (commonly known as Victoria Park C.I., Victoria Park, Vic Park, VP, and VPCI); formerly Victoria Park Secondary School, is a collegiate institute located south of York Mills Road and west of Victoria Park Ave. at 15 Wallingford Road in the North York area of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.  It is the first publicly funded school in Ontario to host the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme.  Authorized to offer the IB Diploma Programme since July 1987, the programme is taught in English.  The school is open to male and female students.  Some feeder schools include Milne Valley Middle School and Donview Middle School.  The student population of Victoria Park Collegiate Institute is diverse, with a component of English as Second Language students (over 30%).

Birkenhead Park: Birkenhead Park is a public park in the centre of Birkenhead, in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, in Merseyside, England.  It was designed by Joseph Paxton and opened on 5 April 1847.  It is generally acknowledged as the first publicly funded civic park in the world.

Steiner Academy Hereford: The Steiner Academy Hereford is a Steiner-Waldorf Academy school in Much Dewchurch near Hereford, Herefordshire, UK.  It opened in September 2008 based at the earlier Hereford Waldorf School and is the first publicly funded Steiner-Waldorf school in the UK.  The school takes students from the Kindergarten age of 3 to 16.

Homosexuality in American football: Few American football players have come out as gay.  Six former National Football League (NFL) players have come out publicly after they retired.  There has never been anyone who has been publicly out while playing in the NFL.  Michael Sam was selected by the St. Louis Rams in 2014 NFL Draft, and became the first publicly gay player drafted in the league, but was released before the start of the regular season.  He became the first publicly gay player to play in the Canadian Football League in August 2015.  In college football, Division III player Conner Mertens came out as bisexual in January 2014, becoming the first active college football player at any level to publicly come out.  In August 2014, Arizona State player Chip Sarafin became the first publicly out active Division I player.

Pennsylvania Department of Education: The Pennsylvania Department of Education is the executive department of the state charged with publicly funded preschool, K-12 and adult educational budgeting, management and guidelines.  As the state education agency, its activities are directed by the governor appointed Pennsylvania's Secretary of Education.  The agency is headquartered at 333 Market Street in Harrisburg.  The Pennsylvania Department of Education oversees 500 public school districts public school districts of Pennsylvania, over 170 public charter schools (2014), 14 public cyber charter schools, Career and Technology Centers/Vocational Technical schools, 29 public Intermediate Units, the education of youth in State Juvenile Correctional Institutions, Head Starts and publicly funded preschools in the Commonwealth (PreK Counts Keystone Stars) and 22 community colleges.  In 2014, the Pennsylvania Department of Education employs approximately 600 persons.

Massachusetts College of Art and Design: Massachusetts College of Art and Design (also known as MassArt) is a publicly funded college of visual and applied art, founded in 1873.  It is one of the oldest art schools, the only publicly funded free-standing art school in the United States, and was the first art college in the United States to grant an artistic degree.  The college is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, and the National Association of Schools of Art and Design.  MassArt is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design, and of the Colleges of the Fenway, a collegiate consortium located in the Longwood Medical and Academic Area of Boston, Massachusetts.

Supporting paragraphs: Laird School of Art Birkenhead Park
Answer: Birkenhead Park