(Editor’s note: The following correspondence was sent to KCSD Superintendent Paul Padalino and school board trustees.)

Dear Dr. Padalino and KCSD Board members: We are parents and caregivers of children in the [George Washington Elementary School] Montessori program and are writing to express our concerns and opposition to the proposal by [Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Education Stacia] Felicello about changing the grade configuration at GW Montessori school for the upcoming school year, based on the following considerations:

The KCSD has failed to provide Montessori training to the full teaching staff, thus ignoring its own recommendations from 2018 to support the Montessori program.

This has created a "cart before the horse" problem; the Montessori program can't demonstrate success until the school district is fully committed to creating a genuine Montessori program at GWS by providing Montessori professional development for all the teachers and staff.

The KCSD is not acting in good faith by presenting weak and confusing data to support the proposed grade reconfiguration, and is attempting to dismantle the Montessori program at GWS. In fact, GW has not been a full Montessori program since 2018, so the only thing the data proves is that GW does better when the Montessori program is supported than it does when the Montessori program is not supported.

KCSD is also excluding parents and the community from the decision-making process.

In fact, the Montessori program at GW has been a tremendous success, as cited in the Daily Freeman here “Montessori results hearten Kingston schools chief” (2018/01/11) , here (2017/10/19) and here (2017/11/02), as well as the district’s own data.

Before the Montessori program started in 2007, George Washington was the lowest performing of the 7 elementary schools in the District. In the first 10 years of the Montessori program, GW saw incredible progress:

By 2017, school overall academic performance was equal to other schools in the district.
GW students kept improving through middle school, while other schools' performance was static.
In the 10 years that GW had a fully supported Montessori program, it went from a school “in need of improvement" to a school in “good standing.”

So again, the data has proven that the students at GW are more successful and are better served by a fully supported Montessori program than by a “blended” program. And the Montessori program is popular with GW families.

It is our assessment that KCSD has failed to follow its own recommendations, and now is trying to change a successful program, rather than amend its own failures to support the success of that program.

In brief, class reconfiguration doesn’t appear to be the only solution, or the best solution, to the “problems” presented. In fact, there are at least two other public Montessori schools in New York that successfully maintain similar grade groupings — Bennett Park Montessori Center in Buffalo and Yonkers Montessori Academy,

Therefore, we request that the proposal to reconfigure the grade structure at GWS be tabled for five years, and that all efforts be refocused on ongoing staff development instead. We believe that it should be mandatory for all GW classroom teachers to be Montessori trained (with TAs at least receiving a Montessori orientation). As with the original conversion to Montessori, teachers and TAs who do not want to be in a Montessori classroom should be given options in other schools, and those who want to be there should be given training immediately. We also request that the KCSD reinstate a Montessori external consultant to make regular visits to the GWS to make recommendations and to provide on-site training and support so that all GWS teachers and staff can be fully trained in the Montessori method.

Thank you for your consideration.

Signed: Parents and caregivers of current GWS students: Amanda Merritt; Andrea Maddox; Anna-Kate Schneider; Anthea White; Antonia Salluzzi; Ben Warren; Brian Tabolt; Britta Riley; Cecilia N Hernández; Christina Pickard; Chuka Umunna; Clare Parsons; Denise Neglia; Diana López, For the Many; Diane Eber; Elibeth Barrera Garrido; Erin Hilgart; Erin Mahan; Fabiana Weiss Furgal; Francine Newman; Gabriela Cano; Gemma Rossi; Graciela Bravo Rojas; Graziella Giordano, aunt to a student at GW; Hadas Liebermann; Hannah Kondrat, NYSNA; Heidi Abrams-Pleva; Hugo González-Pérez; Ian von Miller; Ilana Berger, GW PTO Co-Chair; Japheth Wood, Bard College; Jasmine Garay; Jennifer Bowskill; Joe Lynch; Juan Romero; Justin Renard, GW PTO Co-Chair; Kaitlin Patterson-Ueda; Kareem Barrett; Kathleen Vance; Kim Faraci; Larisa Jacobson; Laura Wyatt; Lee Bonvissuto; Liana Grey; Lindsay Duvall; Luca Giordano; Lydia Picknell; Lyndsay von Miller; Mariel Fiori, GW PTO Co-Chair; Marqita Hancock; Massoumeh Emami Osterhout; Melanie Mambo; Michael Neglia, Grandfather of a GW student; Mike Eber; Mike Newman; Monica Zimmers; Neda Saravani; Nemecio Bravo Rojas; Pablo Vázquez; Patricia Hernaández; Rachel Tervenski; Renata Marallo; Rodney Weiss; Rosa; Sam Osterhout; Sergio Robaina; Shay Krasinski; Tashi Kaiser; Timand Bates; Timothy McDonough; Tracy Fitulli; Winter Gnip

Parents and caregivers of former GW students: Adam Mastropaolo; Clare Manchon; Concepción Durán; Elena Batt; Ella Kondrat, aunt of current and former GW students; Frank Waters; Gabriela Portas; John Garesché, daughter is now a Senior at KHS, started at GW in 2007; Julia Shober; Katy Kondrat; KayCee Wimbish; Leonardo López; Lexi Hanauer; Marco Ochoa; Owen O'Connor; Rosa García; Shaniqua Bowden; Zoe Dunn

Former students at GWS: Acacia Mastropaolo; Alice Bates; Daphne Wood-Fiori; Katarzyna Luberadzka

Current student at GWS: Hazel Bates

Former staff at GWS: Brenda K Winchell; Julie Cash; Tom Muro; Valerie M. Hannum, retired GW principal, adjunct professor SUNY New Paltz, started the Montessori program at GW

Parents of future students at GWS: Jennifer Penarrieta-López; Jordan Scruggs

Community members: Adam Modeen; Alda Parra; Alexandra García; Ana Jiménez; Ane; Aparna Wilde; Christian Matute Sagbay; Cindy Muro, GW School volunteer; Clara Sousa-Silva, Bard College; Diana Miller; Eduardo Parra; Elvira Rodríguez; Enma Villacis; Erin Conroy; Eryn Stutts; Eugenia; Ewelina Gasior, outdoor educator who works with students who attend/ed the program, Seed Song Farm/Oak & Maple; Kelsey Robinson; Maeve Halliday; Nancy A. Ruiz; Phil Erner, neighbor down the street, friend of families at the school; Rebecca LarsenDecker; Rebekah; Richard Waterman; Shira Wheeler