Georgetown County charter school receives approval, but challenges remain

After months of planning, writing and submitting applications for Coastal Montessori Charter School, the group received approval Monday morning from the Georgetown County School District.

"It's the last hurdle," said Kristin Bohan, chairwoman of the school's planning committee. "It's official, we can now begin to implement the plan. We've got a year to open."

The work, however, is far from over, Bohan admitted. The charter for the school was approved contingent upon meeting all requirements laid out by the U.S. Justice Department's desegregation order, as well as finding a suitable location for the school and meeting all requirements for transportation, food and special needs.

"We approved the charter for the Coastal Montessori School pending a lot of things they realize they have to get done before they can open," said board Chairman Jim Dumm. The board's decision to approve the charter was unanimous, although board members had questions about transportation and the diversity of the school.

The school's goals are to increase the number of children reading at grade level by the end of third grade, instill skills needed for success in high school and after school in students, and to narrow the achievement gap, Bohan said during her presentation.

She said members of the board for the new charter school came together to spread Montessori education to more people in the area

"As wonderful as Montessori was it was also very exclusive in our community. Very homogenous. So we began to ask ourselves what can we do to open the doors to make this more available," she said.

Board Vice-Chairman Arthur Lance Jr. questioned how available the school will really be when it's planned to be located on the eastern edge of the district.

"Who will you really impact in the end?" Lance asked, pointing out that transportation could be expensive for students in the western part of the county.

Board Member Johnny Wilson questioned how a Montessori education, which gives children a great deal of freedom in the classroom, would work for special education students, especially those who might need a self-contained classroom.

"By nature Montessori education happens in multi-age classroom," Bohan said, and taking a student away from that environment "would be extracting that which is the essence of Montessori."

Montessori classrooms have students from a three-year age range and Bohan said older students can help teach concepts to younger students, which in turn reinforce the concepts for older students and gives the teacher more freedom for one-on-one interaction with students who need it.

"I feel confident there will not be children who slip through the cracks," Bohan said.

Coastal Montessori will have to come back before the board to ensure it meets district requirements for its facilities, food service and transportation.

It is possible that the school could use a district facility to operate until it builds a new school, said District Superintendant Randy Dozier.

Bohan said the next step is applying for federal grants designed to help charter schools get up and running.

"We hope to secure [that funding] in order to be able to hire some consultants and get some supplies and be sure that when we open the doors we can hit the ground running," she said.

The school will serve about 120 students in grades first through sixth.