Board Approves Crossway Montessori's Charter Application

The Board of Education voted to approve Crossway Montessori's charter school application at its meeting Monday, paving the way for Montgomery County's first charter school.

"We're very excited for this opportunity," said Kathleen Guinan, CEO of "We're looking forward to this partnership with the board and with (Montgomery County Public Schools)."

Now that Crossway's application has been approved, Superintendent Joshua Starr has 30 days to negotiate a contract with the school. After that, the board and the school will begin a one-year planning process before starting the four-year charter, Guinan said.

The measure passed 6-2, with Judith Docca (District 1) and Michael Durso (District 5) opposing it.

Patricia O'Neill (District 3) said Crossway demonstrated its commitment to the process by persevering through the .

"Tonight marks a historic moment for Montgomery County," she said. "I will be proud to raise my hand in support for this particular application."

Docca (District 1) voted against approving the application, saying MCPS already has a variety of programs for young children.

"We have world-class curriculum," Docca said. "I'm not seeing that this is going to add to what we already have in terms of academics, so I am not going to support it."

Board President Christopher Barclay (District 4) said that while he does not believe MCPS needs a charter school, Crossway's application met state standards, leaving him no choice but to honor the law.

He said the board will be rigorous in its reviews of Crossway's progress.

"I will be looking for I's dotted and T's crossed," Barclay said. "There will be a very high standard, but I think we also have an opportunity to learn something here and grow as a system."

Prior to the vote, Jennifer Dobbins of the Montgomery County Unit of the NAACP said the district should focus its efforts on improving existing public schools before approving any charters.

Barclay said he agreed with her, but that he could not in good conscience vote against an application that met all of the state's requirements.

About 40 supporters of Crossway Montessori packed the room for the vote, and many of them hugged and congratulated Guinan afterward. Many students from the school were also in attendance.