Maryland Avenue Montessori School

The Maryland Avenue Montessori School Governance Council and PTO have been working with Mr. DiCarlo on the proposed school budget given by the district for the fall of 2012.  It provides substantially less funds for the next school year, resulting in the loss of a classroom teacher and five para professionals.  The school board does not vote on a finalized budget from the district administration until June, so there is time for our school community to lobby the superintendent and school board members to provide adequate funding to maintain our current staff.

Mr. DiCarlo has been working with the district administration to gain the necessary support to keep the Montessori staff and provide funding to maintain the integrity of our highly successful Montessori program.  The Montessori community in MPS is also collaborating to address these budget concerns with the district administration and school board members.  Since the budget has not yet been finalized and approved, we have time to influence the district to make the necessary changes to support our program.

Here’s what you can do to help:

• Contact school board members by email or phone (see list on back).
• Contact the superintendent’s office (see information on back).
• Attend the Maryland Avenue Montessori Community Meeting sponsored by the SGC and PTO on Wednesday, March 14, 2012 at 6:00pm.
• Watch for updates from the school via Wednesday folders and weekly emails.

The Maryland Montessori Community, along with the entire MPS Montessori Community, is organizing and mobilizing to discuss possible options to address the current budget concerns for all of the Montessori schools.  The district has also expressed interest in supporting the MPS Montessori programs and we are in the process of scheduling a meeting in early May with the superintendent, school board members and parents and staff from all of the Montessori programs in MPS.

The Maryland Avenue Montessori SGC and PTO are asking for your continued support of our program.  Although the current budget situation brings challenges, our school community has always stuck together to provide the necessary resources to ensure a quality Montessori education in a supportive environment for our children.  With your support throughout this budget process and beyond, we can continue to work together to keep Maryland Avenue Montessori a high achieving Montessori program with a committed parent community.  If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the school SGC, PTO or Mr. DiCarlo.

Contact your Board Directors:
President Michael Bonds  governance@milwaukee.k12.wi.us  520-3890

Vice-President Peter Blewett blewett@milwaukee.k12.wi.us 422-2807

Director Annie Woodward woodwaax@milwaukee.k12.wi.us 342-1813

Director Terry Falk tfalk@wi.rr.com & falktf@milwaukee.k12.wi.us 510-9073

Director Larry Miller  governance@milwaukee.k12.wi.us 469-9319 (Maryland Avenue Montessori Board Member)

Director David Voeltner voeltndw@milwaukee.k12.wi.us 546-9880

Director Jeff Spence jspence@wi.rr.com 535-0997

Director Mark A. Sain sainm1@milwaukee.k12.wi.us & marksain@att.net  760-6140

Director Meagan Holman  holmanmw@milwaukee.k12.wi.us 614-1720

Superintendent:  Dr. Gregory Thornton  475-8001

I.          Approval of April Minutes

II.         Review Budget Expenditures

III.       Develop a plan for the a Board Item on the 40% walk zone proposal

IV.       Committee Reports
Fund Committee
PTO Report
Establish an ad hoc committee that would develop a long range plan for MAM’s growth and sustainability in MPS.

V.        Staffing and class size update

VI.            Election of SGC Members for 2011-13

VII.          Update on Principal Selection

VIII.        K-3 Funding and transportation for K-3 and K-4 students

IX.            Complete the School Governance Council Survey

X.              Other Business

Maryland Avenue Montessori School Governance Council Minutes 3/14/11

Present: Phil Dosmann, Principal; Peter Coffaro, parent; Mary Jo Heim, parent; Robert Weeks, parent; Nancy Ketchman, parent; Micki Sausen , teacher; Joan Kelly, parent, Kate Gabor, teacher.

Not Present: Oliver Plunkett, parent

Corrections to minutes:
Under point 5: guidance counselor mandated by MPS at 1 day per week.
Under 14d: if someone with full sick leave takes a leave.

1.     Approval of minutes with corrections

2.     Update on K3 funding.
Phil has no bird in the hand, but he has a good feeling we will get the money back into the budget as a result of the outpouring of the parent body. Current budget cut proposed by the state are grim, but there has been no official word from central office. Proceeding with excessing of staff that were cut in the budget that has been approved.

3.     Legislative cuts update:
The district is noticing that the things we do in Montessori classrooms work and are hearing our requests and even beginning to ask for our input on certain issues. For interview procedures, we only have one position that will need to be staffed currently, but that interview process will not begin until after excess letters have been passed out in April. We have not heard anything official regarding our request for a teacher to be our literacy coach; however, we continue to be fairly confident that the request will be accepted. In general, all the cuts to staff are uncertain because there is nothing definite regarding the final budget cuts. There are schools that will be consolidated, reconstituted or closed. The process of approving the state budget is keeping all of this up in the air.

4.     Walk Zone for Maryland
Up to 40% of neighborhood kids within 1 mile would get in automatically at lottery time. Question is whether we want to apply to increase this quota to 55% with the school board. It may cut down on ethnic and racial diversity at our school. The benefit is that you build more of a community around our school. There is a question of whether the parent student services kept this quota in mind with this year’s population enrollment. Joan felt that 40% was high enough in interest of preserving diversity in our school. Peter wants to see more data about how many neighborhood families we have and what the numbers would look like before we push forwards. Mary Jo feels we have a strong community and so that is not lacking in our school, but would also like to know how many families 55% really translates into.  We are all curious to know how many neighborhood families who wanted in, were not accepted by the lottery. This is something that should be looked at annually. Next month we will make a decision on this based on Phil’s report

5.     Budget Update
The budget is tight and the district is not allowing for any carryover this year. Some schools are getting their debt paid off with other school’s carryover, so Phil is going to lobby to get our debt repaid in this way, or perhaps transferring some money over from Craig if is possible. This is another good example of how a consortium of Montessori schools could benefit all of us. There is no down side for a small school like Maryland to being a part of such a consortium.

Certain costs have not yet been paid for by the fund, and will be reimbursed, but with the sub costs for our Engineer and building service helper have again cost us a good bit of money.

6.     Ballot for next year’s SGC elections will go home in Wednesday folder.

Phil made a motion to adjourn and all agreed.

April 11 is the next meeting date.

Maryland Avenue Montessori School Governance Council Minutes 2/14/11

Present: Phil Dosmann, Principal; Peter Coffaro, parent; Oliver Plunkett, parent; Mary Jo Heim, parent;  Robert Weeks, parent; Nancy Ketchman, parent; Micki Sausen , teacher; Joan Kelly, parent.

Motion made to pass minutes by Oliver Plunkett; 2nd by Nancy Ketchman. Unanimously approved.

Meeting Discussions

1.     Joan reports on meeting with budget meeting. Phil and Joan Kelly attended. Phil presented budget.  Other attendees Tom Bach, Reggie Lawrence, and Gene Campbell (a MAM parent), Micki Sausen, Joe DiCarlo.  Everyone got a chance to speak. Joan felt she received message that MAM will receive a Montessori-trained principal. Reggie Lawrence concurred. Decision re: principal is anticipated to be made by end of year, with interviews starting in March.  There will be several likely candidates that are CGs for approx. 4 principalships.  Our fix of using a Literacy Coach in the classroom as a teacher would be OK with MPS.  Phil will continue pushing for passage of this resolution because contractually literacy coaches are supposed to be a literacy coach, not regular classroom teacher.  Discussion about which district in which the MAM principal would be managed.  Parents Ethan Bender and Joan Kelly on interview team, plus 3 teachers and Phil for teacher positions.  Discussion later re: importance of resolving the issue of using Lit. Coaches as teachers, as parents need to know this.

2.     Discussion re: principal role and responsibilities. There will be no CG on staff.

3.     Clarification about staff reduction: 3 paraprofessionals, 2-day a week art teacher.

4.     Question raised re: size of MAM vs. other larger Montessori schools.  MAM is projected at 365. Other schools have larger class sizes than MAM, but they have additional paraprofessionals to help with larger classes.  10 extra kids generate 45K.

5.     Discussion at budget meeting re: guidance counselor. This position is centrally funded, so it doesn’t affect MAM budget.  Mandated by MPS at 1 day per week.

6.     Micki asked Phil about his sense of K-3 funding. Phil said Thornton called him last week on his cell.  Thornton said he looked at the data & saw that Montessori kids have highest retention data of any MPS schools. That’s very positive.   Phil also explained funding flaws re: our single session K-3 programs vs. dlb.-session K-3 programs.  Thornton said he’d like to meet again with Phil either 2/14 or 2/15. In the meantime, Phil e-mailed data re: Montessori K-3 programs to Thornton for review.  Phil said MAP results showed very good results with very few kids scoring below proficiency level.  Thornton also said he’s waiting for Gov. Walker’s decision on 2/23 or 2/24 on the budget.  Also, Phil will discuss Montessori consortium and strategies for managing Montessori education in MPS, including option of sharing CGs, creating long-term planning.

7.     Phil also discussed whether we should conduct a survey during PT conferences re: retention, satisfaction, etc.  Survey results would be used to improve MAM as well as directed to Thornton.

8.     Next year, projected 50 K3s with same enrollment at 365. Projected 30 to 31 students in K3-K5 classes.

9.     Phil asked for opinion of SGC on whether we should attach a protest letter with the approved budget.  General consensus amongst SGC was that we should. Points raised: why are you asking SGC to make final decision on budget without SGCs having all required information? Phil suggested it would be more heartfelt from a parent. Peter Coffaro will write the letter, sending out a draft to SGC members for their input.  Phil will send a copy to Dr. Thornton and Lawrence as well.  If MPS allocates more funds or issues other info. Affecting the budget, Phil will convene meeting with teachers and SGC to revise budget.

10.  Discussion re: use of Cass St. school.  Other comments: Maybe turning MAM into a K3-K5 center; reapplying to Head Start for funding of early childhood education; after-school camp funding very restrictive and creative use of those funds.

11.  Micki gave her perspective as a teacher on the budget and budgeting process.  One of her primary concerns is stability (will parents not send their kids to MAM because of perceived instability?) and teacher availability (what do you do when teachers are sick and there not enough/any paras available to help out?).   If there is money, teachers talked about sharing a CG with other schools.

12.  More discussion about frustration with lack of long-term planning and knowing what’s happening with MAM as well as other schools, as well as state educational funding.

13.  MAP discussion:  Phil will address with staff re: sensitivity of how to present  MAP scores.  A parent was concerned that her child was very upset about MAP scores.  There’s a score at end of MAP testing process, but only teachers know what that score means. Schools will receive Score based on school MAP results: Red (very bad), Yellow (caution) Green (doing OK). Color scoring results will be held confidential amongst staff and SGC.

14.  Budget:
a.     Some vacancy dollars are returning to MAM.
b.     Phil is disputing some maintenance charges.
c.     Supply funds are OK.
d.     The only thing that will hurt MAM for the remainder of this year is if someone with full sick leave takes a leave.
e.     Charlotte Wood is long-term sub for Lisa till end of the school year, and will be going to another school full-time next year.  She is graduate of Portland OR training program.

15.  Next meeting:  Monday, March  14 next SGC meeting.

16.  Motion: Oliver made motion to adjourn; Micki seconded. All agreed. Meeting ends 7:10 pm.