Parents seek charter school

Victoria A.F. Camron, Longmont Times-Call

LONGMONT — This time next year, a few dozen children may be attending St. Vrain Community Montessori School.

A group of parents has applied to the St. Vrain Valley School District for a charter to open that school with preschool, kindergarten, first and second grades in the fall of 2009.

The parents started the process about a year ago and have met with district officials already. Both Katie Torres, a member of the school’s interim board of directors, and deputy superintendent Don Haddad said the two sides have been working together.

“We very much wanted to have a collaborative relationship with the district,” Torres said Monday. “We’ve learned a lot from the district.

“Most of the folks involved came at this from a parent’s perspective, so we had a lot to learn,” she said.

John Poynton, spokesman for the school district, said the meetings with the parents have been very positive.

“We’re looking forward to a great partnership,” Poynton said.

Charter schools are tuition-free public schools operated by parents, teachers or community members to offer a choice of educational opportunities. They receive public funding based on their enrollment, but the school district that issues the charter can charge for services it provides, such as collecting student data and human resources.

Four charter schools operate in the St. Vrain Valley School District: Flagstaff Academy and Twin Peaks Charter Academy in Longmont; Carbon Valley Academy in Frederick; and Imagine Charter School at Firestone, which opened Monday.

It’s not clear when the Board of Education will consider the application, but if the charter is approved, the school will be the first Montessori school in the St. Vrain school district.

The Boulder Valley School District has one Montessori magnet school, Community Montessori Elementary, but Torres said it has a long waiting list of students who live in that district.

Torres’ 7-year-old twins attend Mountain Shadows Montessori School, a private school in Boulder, she said.

Full-day tuition for elementary students there costs $10,050, according to the school’s Web site. Jarrow Montessori, another private Montessori school in Boulder, charges $10,730.

Most parents behind this charter movement have experience with Montessori schools, Torres said.

“There are a number of things that are attractive about (Montessori),” Torres said. “It’s child-directed and really follows the child.”

Instead of grade levels based on age, Montessori schools group students in three-year cycles, she said.

Although the St. Vrain Valley School District Board of Education likely will place bond issue and mill-levy override questions on the November ballot, Torres is not worried about her group’s timing, she said.

“There will always be more things on the plate than can ever be done,” Torres said.

Victoria Camron can be reached at 303-684-5226 or vcamron@times-call.com.