![]() ![]() ![]() Indeed, if you look at the data, James Simons is on an upward trajectory through the thoughtful involvement of parents and faculty collaboration. In addition, the proposal to create a feeder school system in each of the four districts within CCSD ignores the fact that James Simons already houses a middle school and therefore does not feed into another middle school. Some of us parents were Montessori kids ourselves some of us have been converted to Montessori evangelists most of our kids know nothing else. Reverting to a traditional model at this juncture could have negative consequences on their development, an outcome that perhaps has not been considered. The proposal as written threatens the school’s Montessori culture, specifically the Montessori method implemented at our school, and this possibility is heartbreaking for us. Our children are treated as individuals and can succeed in this environment. Very basically, James Simons-which is not a failing school-should remain a Montessori focus school. If the vote is not delayed, we ask that you amend the proposal to exempt James Simons Montessori from the affected schools in this proposal.Īt the outset, we are concerned the proposal as written could fundamentally change the nature of our school and affect our kids and community – it overlooks important features of James Simons, a 3K-8th grade Montessori school, and it appears to be underinformed with respect to our thriving community. Beyond the misapprehension projected onto our school, the proposal is vague and provides little detail as to what this transformation would mean for James Simons Montessori, which is unique among other D20 schools for the reasons outlined below. In light of this, we are very concerned that the proposal submitted to the school board-on an expeditious motion requiring a vote tomorrow (Monday, 1/10/22)-is being seriously considered for passage with little to no input from our school community. Significantly, existing James Simons leadership and our SIC are focused and working on closing the achievement gap caused by racial and socioeconomic disparities. Voting without having done so seems to be in contravention of your duties pursuant to South Carolina Code Section 59-20-60(7)(a)(“Each school district board of trustees shall review each school improvement plan and the annual updates for integration with district plans and objectives and school progress in meeting those goals and objectives.”) As written, the proposal reflects an apparent misunderstanding as to the nature of our school and the efficacy of the leadership in place. We write to strongly urge you to delay tomorrow’s vote on the CCF Reimagine Schools proposal until the James Simons Montessori school leadership and School Improvement Council (SIC) have a chance to meet with CCF and CCSD leaders.
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