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Madison Ott: School choice lets students find best fit

By Madison Ott
Knoxville News Sentinel
March 7, 2015

Every child has dreams. As for me, I dream about becoming an interior designer or photographer. My friends joke that neither of these careers will make me rich, but in my dreams, doing what I love is far more important than making money.

But to achieve these dreams, I know I need a good education. Being able to attend college and go into a satisfying career would open a world of doors for me.

Unfortunately, the high school I am zoned to attend is not the best fit for me, but that is about to change. I just received an opportunity scholarship from the Beacon Center of Tennessee to attend a private school. I will be starting high school next fall, and I am applying to attend King’s Academy in Seymour.

I attended King’s Academy for two years in sixth and seventh grade, where I earned straight A’s and really loved my classes. I also enjoyed the learning environment and my fellow students, who seemed to be there for all the right reasons. My teachers also went out of their way to help each individual student succeed. This really hit home for me because I needed help in certain areas more than others, and my teachers would take the time to help me improve in those areas where I was weakest.

Unfortunately, I had to transfer out of King’s Academy because my parents couldn’t afford the tuition anymore. Without this scholarship, I would be forced to attend my zoned public school, where I would be unable to take classes I think would give me the best opportunities to succeed.

At King’s Academy, I feel that my fellow students will be there for the same reasons I am, to be willing to work hard for a good education so that they have a shot at making it in the real world. And this wouldn’t be possible without the opportunity of school choice.

While my choice is made possible by one scholarship provided by the Beacon Center of Tennessee, not all kids have that choice. In Nashville, state legislators are debating a program that would give scholarships like mine to thousands of Tennessee kids who can’t afford to choose to attend the school that’s the best fit for them.

School choice works like this. We spend a certain amount on each child’s education. With school choice, we would use some of that money to send a child to a different school if their parents decide the one they’re in isn’t working for them. The rest of the money would stay with the kids still attending that public school. We are already spending this money to educate each child. It makes sense that the money would follow the child rather than just fund the school system.

Like me, many students across Tennessee struggle at their current school, and they simply need an opportunity to choose a better place to learn. The Beacon Center’s scholarship is my family’s only shot to send me to the school of our choice.

With school choice, I know I can finally have the opportunity to reach for my dreams. I hope our state gives other kids like me the same opportunity to succeed.

Madison Ott is an eighth-grader in Knoxville. This fall, she will be attending King’s Academy on scholarship.