An Education Lifeline: How School Choice Could Help Four Siblings Access the Schools That Fit Them Best 

When Chad Peterson packed up his family and moved from Fort Worth, Texas, to central Louisiana, he knew it would be a leap of faith. What he didn’t expect was how much that leap would reshape his outlook on educational freedom. 

“This past Easter, I accepted a call to ministry and came to serve at a church here in a little town in central Louisiana,” Peterson said. “My wife and I have five children. My oldest is 18—she stayed in Texas and is a freshman at Midwestern State. But the other four came with us, and we had to figure out where to put them in school.” 

That process, he admitted, wasn’t easy. 

“We were at the end of the school year when we moved, so the kids only spent a couple of months in their new schools. And honestly? They weren’t happy. They weren’t being challenged. They just felt like they were wasting their time,” he said.   

For his daughter Georgia, the transition was even harder. 

“She has dyslexia and ADHD,” he said. “In Texas, she had gone through all the individual learning plans, all the testing, all the interventions. So when we moved, we knew we had to find a school that would continue supporting her in the right way.”   

Georgia was placed in general education classes at first, and it was clear she needed more support. 

“She learns differently,” Peterson said. “She needs a lot of repetition. Most kids, you teach them the word ‘cat’ a few times, and they remember it. With Georgia, you can go over it 200 times, and the next time she sees it, it’s like she’s never seen it before. Her brain just works differently.”   

It became clear that she needed an environment where she could learn at her own pace with more individualized attention. Determined to find a better option, Peterson and his wife explored what choices were available to them.   

“We heard about Miss Traci’s Montessori program and decided to check it out,” he said. “It seemed like a good fit for our older two, so we enrolled them there.” 

His son Clark, in particular, found an opportunity he hadn’t expected.   

“He’s 16, but he’s doing dual enrollment at LSU Shreveport through Traci’s school,” Peterson said. “He’s taking all college-level courses. He’s in class with 18-, 19-, 20-year-old students, and at first, he felt a little out of place. But he’s handling the coursework just fine. He’s doing great.”   

The move made a difference for Georgia, too.   

“She’s making progress,” he said. “It’s slow, but she’s getting there. She’s got people in her corner who believe in her, who advocate for her. And she’s making friends, which is huge. Socially, she’s thriving.”   

Peterson and his wife also looked for options for their two youngest. 

“We heard about open enrollment in Louisiana, and that gave us some flexibility,” he said. “So last summer, we went through the open enrollment process and applied to get our younger two into a magnet school.”   

The process wasn’t easy, but it paid off. 

“They had to test in, and thankfully, they got accepted,” Peterson said. “It was the best option we had at the time.” 

The magnet program was a game-changer. 

“It was much more on pace with what we were used to back in Fort Worth,” he said. “There were higher expectations, a more engaging curriculum—just a completely different environment from the zoned public schools.”   

Even with the support of the Montessori program and open enrollment, there was still one major challenge—affording it all. 

“The [LSU] classes are heavily discounted, which is amazing,” Peterson said. “But we still have to pay for them, plus textbooks, plus all the other costs that come with it. It’s a great value, but it still costs money.”  

Then, they heard about Louisiana’s Giving All True Opportunity to Rise, or GATOR scholarship. 

“Miss Traci told us about [the GATOR scholarship] and said she thought we’d qualify,” he said.  

The scholarship could help cover tuition for their older kids. More importantly, it could make it possible for their younger two to attend the Montessori program as well—something that wasn’t an option financially before. 

“We drive 30 minutes south every morning to take them to the magnet program, then come back home, then drive 20 minutes north to take the older kids to school,” Peterson said. “It’s just our daily routine at this point. But if all four of them could go to Traci’s school? That would change everything.”  

Peterson and his wife both grew up in public schools, but their Louisiana experience has changed their outlook on education.   

“I played football, baseball, the whole nine yards,” he said. “Big Friday night lights, stadiums, crowds. That was our world. You miss out on some of that in smaller private schools,” he added. “But what you gain is a school that fits your child.”   

And that’s why he believes so strongly in school choice.  

“We just want our kids to be in an environment where they thrive,” he said. “Clark is excelling in his college courses. My younger two are happy and challenged. Georgia is finally in a school that understands her.”  

“This isn’t just about us,” Peterson said. “There are so many families like ours—families that just want what’s best for their kids but don’t have the resources to make it happen. School choice gives us that chance.”   

As they wait for their application to be processed, the Petersons remain hopeful.   

“You do what’s best for your kids, no matter what it takes,” Peterson said. “And if this scholarship comes through, it’ll mean everything for our family.”   

For Peterson, answering the call to serve his community has also meant answering the call to fight for his children’s education. With the GATOR scholarship, he hopes that fight will become a little bit easier.  

Editor’s Note: The GATOR scholarship application period runs from March 1 to April 30, 2025. Families across Louisiana can apply to access funding for educational opportunities that best fit their children’s needs. For more information, visit the Louisiana Department of Education website.