diff --git a/tildes/tildes/resources/group.py b/tildes/tildes/resources/group.py
index 3177b47..b95f964 100644
--- a/tildes/tildes/resources/group.py
+++ b/tildes/tildes/resources/group.py
@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@ from sqlalchemy_utils import Ltree
 
 from tildes.models.group import Group, GroupWikiPage
 from tildes.resources import get_resource
-from tildes.schemas.context import TildesSchemaContext, TildesSchemaContextDict
 from tildes.schemas.group import GroupSchema
 from tildes.views.decorators import use_kwargs
 
diff --git a/tildes/tildes/schemas/base.py b/tildes/tildes/schemas/base.py
index 4c741c4..1ab6b3c 100644
--- a/tildes/tildes/schemas/base.py
+++ b/tildes/tildes/schemas/base.py
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 """Base Marshmallow schema."""
 
 
-from typing import Any
+from typing import Any, Optional
 from marshmallow import Schema
 from tildes.schemas.context import TildesSchemaContext, TildesSchemaContextDict
 
@@ -17,9 +17,21 @@ class BaseTildesSchema(Schema):
 
     context: TildesSchemaContextDict
 
-    def __init__(self, context: TildesSchemaContextDict = {}, **kwargs: Any):
+    def __init__(
+        self, context: Optional[TildesSchemaContextDict] = None, **kwargs: Any
+    ):
+        """Pass an optional context, and forward Schema arguments to superclass."""
         super().__init__(**kwargs)
-        self.context = context
+        self.context = context if context else {}
 
     def get_context_value(self, key: str) -> Any:
-        return TildesSchemaContext.get(default=self.context).get(key)
+        """Get a value from the context dict.
+
+        Any active TildesSchemaContext, e.g. set using a "with" statement,
+        takes precedence. If there is no active TildesSchemaContext, then
+        it takes the value from the dict passed in __init__ instead.
+        """
+        result = TildesSchemaContext.get(default=self.context).get(key)
+        if result:
+            return result
+        return self.context.get(key)
diff --git a/tildes/tildes/schemas/group.py b/tildes/tildes/schemas/group.py
index 1669595..53575b8 100644
--- a/tildes/tildes/schemas/group.py
+++ b/tildes/tildes/schemas/group.py
@@ -13,7 +13,6 @@ from marshmallow.fields import DateTime
 from marshmallow.types import UnknownOption
 
 from tildes.schemas.base import BaseTildesSchema
-from tildes.schemas.context import TildesSchemaContext, TildesSchemaContextDict
 from tildes.schemas.fields import Ltree, Markdown, SimpleString
 
 
diff --git a/tildes/tildes/schemas/user.py b/tildes/tildes/schemas/user.py
index 133c57e..f73b7a8 100644
--- a/tildes/tildes/schemas/user.py
+++ b/tildes/tildes/schemas/user.py
@@ -14,7 +14,6 @@ from marshmallow.validate import Length, Regexp
 
 from tildes.lib.password import is_breached_password
 from tildes.schemas.base import BaseTildesSchema
-from tildes.schemas.context import TildesSchemaContext, TildesSchemaContextDict
 from tildes.schemas.fields import Markdown
 
 
diff --git a/tildes/tildes/views/decorators.py b/tildes/tildes/views/decorators.py
index 15055ac..b3637fa 100644
--- a/tildes/tildes/views/decorators.py
+++ b/tildes/tildes/views/decorators.py
@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@ from collections.abc import Callable
 from typing import Any
 
 from marshmallow import EXCLUDE
-from marshmallow.experimental.context import Context
 from marshmallow.fields import Field
 from marshmallow.schema import Schema
 from pyramid.httpexceptions import HTTPFound
@@ -15,8 +14,6 @@ from pyramid.request import Request
 from pyramid.view import view_config
 from webargs import pyramidparser
 
-from tildes.schemas.context import TildesSchemaContext, TildesSchemaContextDict
-
 
 def use_kwargs(
     argmap: Schema | dict[str, Field], location: str = "query", **kwargs: Any
diff --git a/tildes/tildes/views/login.py b/tildes/tildes/views/login.py
index a926fc5..ef68091 100644
--- a/tildes/tildes/views/login.py
+++ b/tildes/tildes/views/login.py
@@ -19,7 +19,6 @@ from tildes.enums import LogEventType
 from tildes.metrics import incr_counter
 from tildes.models.log import Log
 from tildes.models.user import User
-from tildes.schemas.context import TildesSchemaContext, TildesSchemaContextDict
 from tildes.schemas.user import UserSchema
 from tildes.views.decorators import not_logged_in, rate_limit_view, use_kwargs