Laurie Cox
- Communities flourish when all their children can learn in an environment well-suited to their individual needs.
I am a former public school teacher of more than 30 years and a member of the school board in the Florida county where I live. Public schooling is in my blood; I am a product of our public schools and I’m very proud of the many, many students who’ve benefited from the public schools where I grew up and taught.
Not only am I an advocate for our public schools, but I’m also proud of the growing number of students in my community who are now benefiting from Florida’s robust school choice scholarships. And I wish that more public policymakers in other states – like Mississippi – would seek to serve these students too.
Some may find it strange that a public school official like me would also be a strong supporter of school choice. But if you knew my friend, Heather, you wouldn’t find it strange at all.
Several years ago, Heather began sending her four children in four different directions. Each had attended a traditional public school; but several ended up moving to other school choice options. She homeschooled one for a time and then chose faith-based private schools for several of her other children. Each based on the needs of the child. That opened my eyes to the advantages of allowing parents to choose the best option for their children.
All of Heather’s kids flourished; and the reason they flourished is because they each received instruction tailored to their individual needs and interests (rather than getting a one-size-fits-all education).
Since that time, I’ve worked to expand learning options in our community. I’ve sought to help families see the many, many things that our public schools do well. But I’ve also supported parents that believe their child’s needs might be better met in a private, charter, or home school.
The way I see it, private, charter, and home school families pay taxes, too; and they ought to be able to have their child’s K-12 funding follow them wherever they may go.
Still, some of my public school friends think I am foolish to support school choice. But I like to remind them that I am a hometown girl and I want to see ALL the children in my community flourish – not just those that go to the public schools I help govern.
Indeed, I’m convinced that the communities that will come to be known as the Best Places to Raise Children will be those that have a wide array of learning options, capable of serving all sorts of kids well (just like my Florida community serves all of Heather’s kids well).
So, to all my friends in Mississippi – perhaps especially those involved in the public schools – I want to encourage you to embrace school choice scholarship programs like those we have in Florida. Communities flourish when ALL their children can learn in an environment well-suited to their individual needs.
That’s one of the lessons I’ve learned from my time in public service – and from watching my friend Heather and her kids.
