Crossway Community Montessori

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I volunteered at Crossways ages ago, so I was a bit shocked to read that they were characterized as “shady.” If you look at their publicly available financials, it seems like they are bringing in less money than they need to operate their programs. It also looks like their program costs are relatively modest.

What a lot of people don’t realize about charter funding is that school districts pay the average marginal cost of educating students. A lot of the overhead of running a school or school system is not part of the public funding. Successful charters have big corporate sponsors and/or administrators who are excellent at making grant applications and running fundraising operations.

I don’t doubt that some aspects of quality suffered under financial strain. That said, I am not seeing evidence of malfeasance.

I worked with them professionally. Shady was an understatement. You have no idea what we are talking about.

+1. We are not talking about random stuff listed on their 990 online.

[Anonymous]

they have moved to a forest school model

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:they have moved to a forest school model

Even better. /s

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:they have moved to a forest school model

Even better. /s

??????

[Anonymous]

It really is a shame, this place has a lot of potential.

[Anonymous]

Maybe things have changed but a decade ago I pulled my preschooler out after a month and a half. Horribly run on many levels.

[Anonymous]

Does anybody know how many people are living in their low income housing right now? Is it at capacity? Is anybody living there?

[Anonymous]

About 8 or 9 years ago it was a great concept with some amazing Montessori teachers and assistants. The CEO was over ambitious and got fixated on having the first Montessori school in Montgomery County and bit off more than she could chew. I don’t think it was ever really thought out what would happen after approval with all the reporting etc. that went along with being part of MCPS. They also had a really great program for single mothers back then which I’m not sure is still active. It’s too bad. My son was there from 2-4 (he’s in 6th grade now) and got a great education. The leadership leaves much to be desired, I’m actually shocked they’re still open.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:About 8 or 9 years ago it was a great concept with some amazing Montessori teachers and assistants. The CEO was over ambitious and got fixated on having the first Montessori school in Montgomery County and bit off more than she could chew. I don’t think it was ever really thought out what would happen after approval with all the reporting etc. that went along with being part of MCPS. They also had a really great program for single mothers back then which I’m not sure is still active. It’s too bad. My son was there from 2-4 (he’s in 6th grade now) and got a great education. The leadership leaves much to be desired, I’m actually shocked they’re still open.

Speaking from someone who worked with the families in that single mom program, it wasn't great at all. They were very controlling and it was a money grab. They were funded by HOC. They'd also double dip through HOC and social services to get a security deposit and first month rent. They also forced the women to use the Montessori program via vouchers but also would send the women back into social services to have social services pay a deposit for child care as well. They required multiple time a week meetings which was an issue with work and school for some women and they constantly found ways to bill the women and send them into social services to get extra money (they'd give them an eviction notice demanding more money even though the women paid their share). It was also unclear where things that were donated for the women went as at least what they told me they never got the stuff (food, diapers, formula, clothing) and would come to us for help with those things. HOC terminated their contract. That is what I saw, there was probably more.

There were lots of reports from the women on the child care situation but they seem to be removed from the internet.

[Anonymous]

Here is some of it:

https://www.change.org/p/department-of-housing-and-community-affairs-office-of-the-general-inspector-remove-ceo-kathleen-guinan-and-administration-from-crossway-community

https://raiseyourvoicewomenofcrosswaycommunity.weebly.com

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:About 8 or 9 years ago it was a great concept with some amazing Montessori teachers and assistants. The CEO was over ambitious and got fixated on having the first Montessori school in Montgomery County and bit off more than she could chew. I don’t think it was ever really thought out what would happen after approval with all the reporting etc. that went along with being part of MCPS. They also had a really great program for single mothers back then which I’m not sure is still active. It’s too bad. My son was there from 2-4 (he’s in 6th grade now) and got a great education. The leadership leaves much to be desired, I’m actually shocked they’re still open.

I think the charter school initiative was a way to secure funding. My child was in the private pre-school at the time, and it always seemed like pure fantasy to me. They recruited a principal for the charter school who was going to live in an apartment at Crossway. Did she even start? They never appointed a board for the charter school. This is not a place that values transparency. I'm not sure why Kathleen Guinan and Anne Byrne thought partnering with MCPS was going to work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:About 8 or 9 years ago it was a great concept with some amazing Montessori teachers and assistants. The CEO was over ambitious and got fixated on having the first Montessori school in Montgomery County and bit off more than she could chew. I don’t think it was ever really thought out what would happen after approval with all the reporting etc. that went along with being part of MCPS. They also had a really great program for single mothers back then which I’m not sure is still active. It’s too bad. My son was there from 2-4 (he’s in 6th grade now) and got a great education. The leadership leaves much to be desired, I’m actually shocked they’re still open.

I think the charter school initiative was a way to secure funding. My child was in the private pre-school at the time, and it always seemed like pure fantasy to me. They recruited a principal for the charter school who was going to live in an apartment at Crossway. Did she even start? They never appointed a board for the charter school. This is not a place that values transparency. I'm not sure why Kathleen Guinan and Anne Byrne thought partnering with MCPS was going to work.

I knew both women ~20 years ago. Kathleen, especially, dreams big. She was very energetic and outspoken and talked a good line. She could sell a blind man glasses. When she was in idea mode, plans just rolled out from her and she made them seem possible. She had an answer for every objection. The housing for single mothers was such an amazing and honorable idea, but the way it was executed and run and the way the mothers were treated was rotten to the core. She reminds me of the saying, "robbing Peter to pay Paul".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:About 8 or 9 years ago it was a great concept with some amazing Montessori teachers and assistants. The CEO was over ambitious and got fixated on having the first Montessori school in Montgomery County and bit off more than she could chew. I don’t think it was ever really thought out what would happen after approval with all the reporting etc. that went along with being part of MCPS. They also had a really great program for single mothers back then which I’m not sure is still active. It’s too bad. My son was there from 2-4 (he’s in 6th grade now) and got a great education. The leadership leaves much to be desired, I’m actually shocked they’re still open.

I think the charter school initiative was a way to secure funding. My child was in the private pre-school at the time, and it always seemed like pure fantasy to me. They recruited a principal for the charter school who was going to live in an apartment at Crossway. Did she even start? They never appointed a board for the charter school. This is not a place that values transparency. I'm not sure why Kathleen Guinan and Anne Byrne thought partnering with MCPS was going to work.

I knew both women ~20 years ago. Kathleen, especially, dreams big. She was very energetic and outspoken and talked a good line. She could sell a blind man glasses. When she was in idea mode, plans just rolled out from her and she made them seem possible. She had an answer for every objection. The housing for single mothers was such an amazing and honorable idea, but the way it was executed and run and the way the mothers were treated was rotten to the core. She reminds me of the saying, "robbing Peter to pay Paul".

They are also older boomers and think that way. I'm sure the program for single mothers worked better with gen-x moms than millenial moms.

[Anonymous]

Gosh this is awful. Any current parents?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:About 8 or 9 years ago it was a great concept with some amazing Montessori teachers and assistants. The CEO was over ambitious and got fixated on having the first Montessori school in Montgomery County and bit off more than she could chew. I don’t think it was ever really thought out what would happen after approval with all the reporting etc. that went along with being part of MCPS. They also had a really great program for single mothers back then which I’m not sure is still active. It’s too bad. My son was there from 2-4 (he’s in 6th grade now) and got a great education. The leadership leaves much to be desired, I’m actually shocked they’re still open.

I think the charter school initiative was a way to secure funding. My child was in the private pre-school at the time, and it always seemed like pure fantasy to me. They recruited a principal for the charter school who was going to live in an apartment at Crossway. Did she even start? They never appointed a board for the charter school. This is not a place that values transparency. I'm not sure why Kathleen Guinan and Anne Byrne thought partnering with MCPS was going to work.

I knew both women ~20 years ago. Kathleen, especially, dreams big. She was very energetic and outspoken and talked a good line. She could sell a blind man glasses. When she was in idea mode, plans just rolled out from her and she made them seem possible. She had an answer for every objection. The housing for single mothers was such an amazing and honorable idea, but the way it was executed and run and the way the mothers were treated was rotten to the core. She reminds me of the saying, "robbing Peter to pay Paul".

Your description of the housing program was spot on. We very much need many more programs like that so it really was ashamed it closed down.