Every weekday morning, I drive my 13-year-old twins to two different schools. Neither is the school we’re zoned for, and the loop takes me about an hour. Yet it’s the best decision I could have made for them.
My son is in a public magnet program for gifted students. My daughter goes to a small Christian private school. As a single mom in Orlando, I couldn’t have made this happen on my own.
A Florida school choice scholarship made it possible. These scholarships let funding follow the students instead of staying tied to assigned public schools.
Businesses fund many of them through donations that earn them dollar-for-dollar tax credits, notably the state’s scholarships for homeschool families. Others, like the Family Empowerment Scholarship, are
funded directly by the state.
Few states have taken school choice as far as Florida. Here, all students qualify, no matter what their families earn.
More American families could soon have the same choice. A federal school choice tax credit set to start in January would provide families with scholarships for private school tuition, tutoring and other educational costs, but only in states that opt into the program. Right now, decisions about opting in are largely split along party lines.
One school can't serve every child's needs
For me, school choice was never about politics, though. It was about two kids who needed different things, and a mom who knew what each of them needed. My twins started in the same classroom at our assigned public school, but it didn’t take long to see they needed room to grow as individuals. So I let them be in different classrooms for first, second and third grades.
My son was later identified as gifted, and when he was offered a spot in a public magnet program for gifted students, I jumped at it. It was the kind of education he deserved.
Meanwhile, my daughter had to stay at our assigned public school, and I didn’t feel like it was the best fit for her. She needed more attention and support than the school could provide, and classes that would really push her. But private school felt too far out of reach.
I didn’t think we had any options until a friend from my daughter’s gymnastics class asked if I’d heard about Florida’s school choice scholarship. I hadn’t. So in the week before a new school year started, I toured four private schools. My last stop was a small Christian school, and I knew from the second I walked in that it was where my daughter belonged.
That was five years ago. The girl who wasn’t initially identified as gifted is now taking all honors classes. She has close friends and a faith-based education that matters to our family. School choice allowed my daughter to get an education better suited to her needs.
All kids are different – even if they're twins. I’ve also met families who use educational choice so their kids can keep up in school while competing in demanding athletic programs. Their needs look nothing like ours. That’s exactly why the decision belongs with parents, not based solely on whichever school happens to be closest.
Parents know their own children best
My daughter’s scholarship doesn’t cover all of her tuition, so I still pay a considerable amount every month. Add the hour in the car, and it’s a real commitment. Still, I know my daughter, and I know I chose the right school for her.
Knowing my kids is also why my son is still in his public magnet school, where he’s getting an excellent education. While some people might assume that choosing a private school means turning your back on public schools, I don’t see it that way.
Public schools should be the very best they can be – and I think giving parents options is how we get there. After all, a school that knows families can walk away has every reason to keep getting better.
I’m just one parent. Millions of parents across the country, like me, know their children better than anyone. They should have the opportunity to choose schools that fit their children’s individual needs.
For families, school choice is personal, not political
The question my family faced five years ago is now in front of every state in the country. States must decide whether they will opt in to the federal school choice program. So far, nearly every Republican governor has signed on, while many Democratic governors have held back.
School choice has become yet another partisan fight. But for my family, it was never political. It was personal.
Where would each of my kids do best? School choice meant I could finally do something about the answer. Without it, my daughter wouldn’t have received an education tailored to her needs the way my son did. She would have had to stay in our assigned school, which didn’t provide the rigor and opportunities she deserved.
Every child deserves the same kind of educational choice Florida gave mine.
Both of my kids are in the right schools today. That’s something every parent across the country should be able to say.
Mary Dees is a mother of twins in Orlando. She is a parent advocate affiliated with Pioneer Institute, a think tank working to strengthen Florida’s education system.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: School choice isn't political for my family. It's personal | Opinion
