Rock Hill Montessori parents question timing for choice program

Brittany Kelly is worried her children will be divided between two elementary schools next fall if Rock Hill makes changes to its school choice program.

Kelly said she expected to have her children, who range from 3 years old to fourth grade, in a Montessori program at The Children’s School at Sylvia Circle next fall.

Under a proposal made by Rock Hill Superintendent Kelly Pew, Kelly’s oldest child would move to a new program at Ebenezer Avenue Elementary, while her two younger children would remain in Montessori at Sylvia Circle.

“I’m excited about the new program,” Kelly said. “I’m exited about the new school. I just wish we could all go together.”

Kelly was one of about 100 parents who met with Pew last week at the Sylvia Circle school to hear about proposed changes. It was one of four recent, school-based meetings Pew hosted to meet with parents to discuss the proposals.

Pew has suggested sweeping changes across the district to address concerns about students’ accessibility to school choice.

Rock Hill has school choice programs in language immersion, art, Montessori, gifted education and science and technology. Pew’s proposals also address problems with over or under enrollment in some schools.

Pew’s other proposals include consolidating three language immersion programs at one site, expanding choice for gifted students, expanding an arts program to include more schools and studying how to continue the programs at the middle and high school.

She also proposed that the district pay to transport students to choice programs outside their zoned school, which has not been offered in recent years.

Parents in the choice program at The Children’s School, which could face the most immediate changes, had questions about a proposed inquiry-based program that could begin in the fall for their older children.

Pew has proposed moving third- to fifth-grade students in the Montessori program at The Children’s School to Ebenezer Avenue Elementary next fall. At Ebenezer Avenue, the older students would be in the new inquiry-based education program.

District officials say inquiry-based education has many elements of Montessori, including a community of teachers who know their children and an emphasis on academic exploration and discovery.

Pew has said the inquiry program also allows the district to ensure children are meeting state education standards, a mandate beginning in third grade.

Many parents said they were worried about the timeline for developing the inquiry program. Others wonder if their children would have the same teachers they have now.

“It’s a lot to be asking, of the teachers and of us,” said Lia Hopkins, who has two children at the Children’s School. “Saying trust me, they’ll be ready.”

Takita Sumter, who has one child in the Montessori program, shared Hopkins’ concern, wondering if the program would be ready to begin in seven months. “My concern is the timeline,” she said.

Sumter said she found the program’s concept appealing.

“I think having a student-centered learning model where they explore and think carefully about problems, where the teacher is no longer the focus, is an important life skill,” Sumter said.

Pew said she plans to recommend the school board construct a new building at Ebenezer Avenue for the Montessori program. She said she plans to drop another proposal, that Montessori move to the Central Child Development Center.

Under Pew’s plan, the new Montessori school would open in the fall of 2017, when children in preschool through second grade would relocate from The Children’s School to Ebenzer Avenue.

Pew said she needs to move Montessori because she wants to move the federally funded Head Start preschool program at Edgewood Center to the Children’s School. She said the center needs about $1 million in repairs. Instead of doing that, she wants to move the program and sell the building.

Pew said she understands concerns among Montessori parents about having their children divided between two schools for a year.

Because of those concerns, the district is having a second study of the Edgewood building to determine whether it could be used safely by Head Start for another year without costly repairs.

“I think if we can move everybody at one time, that would make it easier,” Pew said.

Lori Heffner Gibson, who has one child in the Montessori program now and older children who finished it, said she isn’t sure what to think of the proposed changes.

“I would sign up if I could have all the same teachers,” she said. “These teachers, they know our family, they know our kids. I would trust any of these teachers with my child.”

Heffner Gibson also said she doesn’t understand why the program has to change. She fears losing the family atmosphere her children enjoyed at The Children’s School.

“They are dissolving our school of choice, that we chose, and creating something different,” she said. “I’m not saying no to inquiry at Ebenezer Avenue. I just want to know the full story.”

This story was originally published January 30, 2016 at 3:15 PM with the headline "Rock Hill Montessori parents question timing for choice program."