Does anybody know what is going on with Crossway Montessori Charter School?

[Anonymous]

Can anyone shed some light on what is going on? I went to check 2014 - 2015 lottery info, and see nothing about their MCPS Montessori Charter School -- I think it is called Community Montessori? Did some googling, and it appears they are closing? Is the charter school going to be moved?

[Anonymous]

I believe the charter school is just going to be gone.

[Anonymous]

The school will no longer be an MCPS charter school after the end of the 2013-2014 school year. The school will operate solely as a private school.

[Anonymous]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/montessori-school-montgomery-countys-only-public-charter-plans-to-close/2014/01/15/79b418aa-7e29-11e3-9556-4a4bf7bcbd84_story.html

http://parentscoalitionmc.blogspot.com/2014/01/exc...ter-school-blames-parents.html

http://parentscoalitionmc.blogspot.com/2014/01/bre...-crossway-community-votes.html

They have poor management.

[Anonymous]

That is a real shame but I"m not surprised.

My kids went to Crossway for the Montessori program from ages 1 - 5. It was in many ways an amazing school and a great experience for them. However, the management is a nightmare -- strange, ego-driven, rigid, and completely unwilling to look at parents' perspective.

One year they suddenly raised fees for the after care portion by over 100% with no notice. When a group of parents strenuously objected, the response was that they didn't really approve of after care anyway and shouldn't we have a parent staying home with the kids after they finished the Montessori program anyway?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The school will no longer be an MCPS charter school after the end of the 2013-2014 school year. The school will operate solely as a private school.

Owned by whom?

[Anonymous]

"However, the management is a nightmare -- strange, ego-driven, rigid, and completely unwilling to look at parents' perspective.

One year they suddenly raised fees for the after care portion by over 100% with no notice. When a group of parents strenuously objected, the response was that they didn't really approve of after care anyway and shouldn't we have a parent staying home with the kids after they finished the Montessori program anyway?
"

I have heard this many times now about that school. Your annecdote about the after care fees is horrifying to me since it indicates they look down on working parents. I don't want my school critidizing my family's choices or making life harder than it needs to be. Why anyone would sign up there after the huge mismanagement of the charter is mystifying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"However, the management is a nightmare -- strange, ego-driven, rigid, and completely unwilling to look at parents' perspective.

One year they suddenly raised fees for the after care portion by over 100% with no notice. When a group of parents strenuously objected, the response was that they didn't really approve of after care anyway and shouldn't we have a parent staying home with the kids after they finished the Montessori program anyway?
"

I have heard this many times now about that school. Your annecdote about the after care fees is horrifying to me since it indicates they look down on working parents. I don't want my school critidizing my family's choices or making life harder than it needs to be. Why anyone would sign up there after the huge mismanagement of the charter is mystifying.

Yes, it was particularly interesting in light of the Montessori philosophy that kids ages 2 and a half and older should be in the Montessori program five days a week (this is indeed part of the philosophy). So they insisted that kids enroll for five days -- fair enough, but parents who want to do that are typically working parents who need childcare for the day. People aren't going to pay those fees for the full day if they are sacrificing income to stay home with kids.

But the "head of school" was quite contemptuous of workiing mothers and didn't really try to hide that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That is a real shame but I"m not surprised.

My kids went to Crossway for the Montessori program from ages 1 - 5. It was in many ways an amazing school and a great experience for them. However, the management is a nightmare -- strange, ego-driven, rigid, and completely unwilling to look at parents' perspective.

One year they suddenly raised fees for the after care portion by over 100% with no notice. When a group of parents strenuously objected, the response was that they didn't really approve of after care anyway and shouldn't we have a parent staying home with the kids after they finished the Montessori program anyway?

Wow, my DD went to Crossway from age 3 to 5 in the early 2000s, and there was never any mention of raising aftercare fees or looking down on working parents. In fact, one of the impressive things about the school to me was how they integrated the single struggling moms and their kids who live at Crossway (do they still have that program?) with neighborhood children. Those moms certainly needed aftercare.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That is a real shame but I"m not surprised.

My kids went to Crossway for the Montessori program from ages 1 - 5. It was in many ways an amazing school and a great experience for them. However, the management is a nightmare -- strange, ego-driven, rigid, and completely unwilling to look at parents' perspective.

One year they suddenly raised fees for the after care portion by over 100% with no notice. When a group of parents strenuously objected, the response was that they didn't really approve of after care anyway and shouldn't we have a parent staying home with the kids after they finished the Montessori program anyway?

Wow, my DD went to Crossway from age 3 to 5 in the early 2000s, and there was never any mention of raising aftercare fees or looking down on working parents. In fact, one of the impressive things about the school to me was how they integrated the single struggling moms and their kids who live at Crossway (do they still have that program?) with neighborhood children. Those moms certainly needed aftercare.

This was in the early 2000's == maybe 2001? 2002?

I agree -- the program with the Crossway residents was amazing. They raised the prices only on the non-resident families.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"However, the management is a nightmare -- strange, ego-driven, rigid, and completely unwilling to look at parents' perspective.

One year they suddenly raised fees for the after care portion by over 100% with no notice. When a group of parents strenuously objected, the response was that they didn't really approve of after care anyway and shouldn't we have a parent staying home with the kids after they finished the Montessori program anyway?
"

I have heard this many times now about that school. Your annecdote about the after care fees is horrifying to me since it indicates they look down on working parents. I don't want my school critidizing my family's choices or making life harder than it needs to be. Why anyone would sign up there after the huge mismanagement of the charter is mystifying.

Yes, it was particularly interesting in light of the Montessori philosophy that kids ages 2 and a half and older should be in the Montessori program five days a week (this is indeed part of the philosophy). So they insisted that kids enroll for five days -- fair enough, but parents who want to do that are typically working parents who need childcare for the day. People aren't going to pay those fees for the full day if they are sacrificing income to stay home with kids.

But the "head of school" was quite contemptuous of workiing mothers and didn't really try to hide that.

Which mothers don't work??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That is a real shame but I"m not surprised.

My kids went to Crossway for the Montessori program from ages 1 - 5. It was in many ways an amazing school and a great experience for them. However, the management is a nightmare -- strange, ego-driven, rigid, and completely unwilling to look at parents' perspective.

One year they suddenly raised fees for the after care portion by over 100% with no notice. When a group of parents strenuously objected, the response was that they didn't really approve of after care anyway and shouldn't we have a parent staying home with the kids after they finished the Montessori program anyway?

Wow, my DD went to Crossway from age 3 to 5 in the early 2000s, and there was never any mention of raising aftercare fees or looking down on working parents. In fact, one of the impressive things about the school to me was how they integrated the single struggling moms and their kids who live at Crossway (do they still have that program?) with neighborhood children. Those moms certainly needed aftercare.

They actually did that as they that because they were getting government income - they get HOC money to pay for the rent and a security deposit from social services. They get the day care voucher from the county too (and charge the county a deposit for the day care too). Things have never been as good as they appeared from the outside.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

But the "head of school" was quite contemptuous of working mothers and didn't really try to hide that.

Which mothers don't work??

PP, would it have made you feel better if the other PP had said "But the 'head of school' was quite contemptuous of mothers who work for pay and didn't really try to hide that"?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

But the "head of school" was quite contemptuous of working mothers and didn't really try to hide that.

Which mothers don't work??

PP, would it have made you feel better if the other PP had said "But the 'head of school' was quite contemptuous of mothers who work for pay and didn't really try to hide that"?

What does make me feel good is when children get the love they need and deserve.

[Anonymous]

My impression is that MCPS is not ready to have charters and wanted to run it like a regular ES which defeats the whole purpose of having a charter.There were many issues with funding from MCPS and the charter. There's a reason MOCO does not have charter schools- they don't really want them.