MCPS Press Release: School will operate as public charter for remainder of current school yearThe Board of Directors for Crossway Community, Inc., which operates the Community Montessori Charter School, voted January 14 to terminate the charter at the end of the current school year. Community Montessori will operate as a public charter school for the rest of this school year and plans to continue as a private school beginning next school year.
The Board of Directors took the vote after determining its financial structure was not sustainable. The Board of Directors came to its decision after making every effort to close a budget gap that existed between what the school received in public funding and what it needed to raise in private donations.
Public funding was available for 40 of the 100 students at the school, which educates students in mixed-age classrooms of 3, 4 and 5-year-olds in keeping with the Montessori educational model. The school worked diligently to raise the funds necessary to supplement the public contribution but despite the generosity of parents and the community, it was still short of the goal. This effort has been a mutual and concerted one by all involved and the decision for the board was very difficult.
Parents were notified of the vote in a letter today (January 15, 2014) and a parent meeting will be held on Thursday, January 16, 2014, at 6:00 p.m.
“Despite our best efforts, we could not sustain the school financially as a charter and will move forward to provide services as a private school,” said Peter Kirby, chair of the Crossway Community Board of Directors. “We appreciate the support and guidance we received from Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) throughout this process and we are committed to serving our students as a charter school for the rest of this academic year.”
Crossway’s not-for-profit non-charter school, which has operated for the past 22 years, is fully prepared logistically to absorb all charter school children for the next school year--and at this year’s tuition rates. Parents can also enroll their children in their neighborhood MCPS schools for next year. All other Crossway activities will continue uninterrupted.
“We will work closely with the school and parents to ensure a smooth transition for students who move to their neighborhood school next year,” MCPS Superintendent Joshua P. Starr said. “We know this was a difficult decision for the Board of Directors and we will work with the charter school to facilitate the transition for students and their families.”
“Everyone involved can take heart that we’ve all had a promising vision of what the future of education will look like,” said Kathleen Guinan, Crossway Community CEO. “We know now where some of the pitfalls are and we have also seen the great potential of the idea. For over 22 years, Crossway Community has been and is committed to making great things happen for young children and their parents. This is consistent with the best research in the country in preparing our children for the 21st century. We will continue to focus on improving the lives of our youngest citizens ages zero through six years.”
its financial structure was not sustainable.
ReplyDeleteDuh
"Crossway’s not-for-profit non-charter school..." Also non-Montessori. Crossway does not show up on lists of true, accredited Montessori schools.
ReplyDeleteIt's 100% Montessori. If you ever stepped into classroom you would see. The teachers are strict followers of the Montessori path and education is top notch.
Delete100%? Which means nothing. There is an actual process to go through for accreditation. Because the name "Montessori" is not trademarked anyone can use it. MCPS can call themselves Montessori if they want to, it means nothing without the accreditation.
DeleteJust as not all farmers who farm organically go through the process to become certified organic - it is time-consuming and expensive - not all Montessori schools that are true to the original practices of Maria Montessori go through the accreditation process. It does make it harder for parents who are not conversant in "real" Montessori to know what they're getting into if the school is not accredited, but the process is akin to a school applying to be a Blue Ribbon school, only with far fewer staff members to spread the work out among. (Been part of that process once, not in a hurry to do it again. :P)
DeleteBut Janis is right in that the term is public domain, like Suzuki; anyone can use it without legal repercussions.
The problems were numerous and extended far beyond the financial issues. I actually believe that the school could have been a success if not for the horrendous administration. The fault lies directly with the Crossway CEO and her lack of leadership, truthfulness, and community engagement. However, there were plenty of of others (including parents) who chose to put their head in the sand and only wanted to hear how wonderful everything was and how it would all be fine if we only gave the school a chance.
ReplyDeleteHow odd. They can't afford to stay in business when subsidized by MCPS, but they expect to be able to stay in business when they become private and lose the MCPS subsidy. Doesn't make sense.
ReplyDeleteThe school is very complex.
DeleteCharter members get county provided pre-school for 3&4 year olds until 11AM. After that you pay a high dollar (highest in the DC region) for after care. 5 yo go to kindergarden via the county. After care for 5 yo is paid by the parents.
There is a "family leadership" program where at-risk families (usually single mothers) live in the building and I can only assume get free before and after care for the children as well as other benefits (a place to live?) . My thought is that the mix of at risk people vs. the people paying into the system was not working out.
There is a non-charter "infant community" that runs like a Montessori day care.
There is a non-charter "primary" that runs like a pre-school
Both of these programs (and the family leadership program) will continue after the charter is closed.
Indeed, CMS is very complex. In spite of these complexities CMS staff and faculty must be commended for their deep commitment to providing universal education for all children when this is a standard we have not yet reached as a nation, even though there is a large and growing body of evidence showing the immense value of early childhood education well before age 5.
DeleteYour assumptions and comments about the FLA program read as a misinformed and misguided attack. To be clear, nothing is given freely to any mother living on campus or any children participating the FLA program. I am a mother living on campus, participating in the FLA program. I work a full-time job, 40+ hours a week. I pay tuition, rent, and utilities, the same as I would pay anywhere else. My children do not participate in the before care program, but they do stay for aftercare; and I pay for those fees, too. If I am late picking my children up, I get charged the same late pick-up fees as any other parent in the school. My circumstances are not unique. Many of the mothers participating in the FLA program similarly pay tuition, rent, and utilities here on campus. Its not that our finances are any of your business, but let me shed some light for you. The amounts each of us pay is based individually on our level of income. This formula is based both on federal income guidelines and the design of the FLA program. Outside of those parameters, federal dollars covers a portion of tuition fees. In addition, each family living on campus must sign on with a support person/s who agree to cover any outstanding fees incurred while participating in FLA. This is America, there is no such thing as a free ride.
Before you rush to create a false dichotomy between us vs. them - the "at risk," consider the fragile system in which we all live where many families vulnerable. Working women in the U.S.disproportionately earn lower wages than men, leaving some 64% of American women with earnings at our below the minimum wage. The gender imbalance in income creates a set of compounded issues. Since there is a growing number of working American women who are the sole breadwinners for their families and women contributing their earnings to their families, this means that those families have an even more difficult time getting ahead or meeting all of their most basic needs. If some women are as you put it "at-risk" it means all women are at risk, all families are at risk in a system that does not provide adequate supports. Before you rush to point the finger and assume that families in the FLA program are somehow robbing you and your family, remember that these are working families that contribute to the overall system. I urge you to consider the broader systemic conditions: depressed wages, rising costs of living, poor social nets, and little social value for families and the needs of those families particularly as they pertain to raising children, particularly children in their most vulnerable developmental stages.
The evidence also shows that when a public school system drops the ball all of the gains from early education are erased. As long as MCPS keeps ignoring the educational needs of all students there is nothing that pre anything is going to do to close the gap.
DeleteThis may have been the first Crossway board meeting the "board" found out they were running a public charter school. Just a few months ago a board member denied any involvement with a public charter school in Montgomery County.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, it is not accredited as a Montessori school. For whatever reason, it does not meet the requirements of a true Montessori school. I believe the teachers must be accredited. Anyone can call themselves a Montessori school, the name is not copyrighted.
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