Montessori school to open in NE Oklahoma City amid approval by the charter school board
A nonprofit organization can start a new Montessori charter school in northeast Oklahoma City after its application was approved Monday by the Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board.
Legacy Learning Inc.'s approval for the charter school comes after two failed attempts to open an early childhood center after the school boards of both Oklahoma City Public Schools and Millwood Public Schools voted in 2023 to reject applications to establish the charter school.
Standing for play, process and progress, the P3 Urban Montessori will serve students from age 3 through kindergarten who live in the 73111 ZIP code, a majority Black and low-income area in northeast Oklahoma City.
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Montessori schools emphasize hands-on learning, practical life activities and flexible learning styles. The Montessori model offers a modified dedication method that strives for independence and self-discipline.
The P3 Urban Montessori appealed to the charter school board and sought to open for the 2025-26 academic year. However, the board approved the charter to open in the 2026-27 academic year with the condition that it takes action to resolve weaknesses in its application.
According to a presentation by Jaycie Smith, SCSB academic compliance officer, the areas of weakness in the application include its special education services, a lack of mention of norm-referenced measures of academic growth, organizational misalignments and budgetary inconsistencies.
To open its Montessori school, Legacy Learning Inc. must resolve its analyzed weaknesses by August 31, according to the motion made by the board.
One board member, David Rutkauskas, said the bureaucratic system has been unfair to the P3 founders, adding that there's a high need for something like the Montessori school in the community.
The board's chairman, Brian Shellem, said if P3 wanted to open in 2025, "They should have their stuff together."
"I will tell you that in another circumstance that our recommendation today would probably have been to you to reject the application, allow them the opportunity to go back and revise the application, bring it back for reconsideration," said Rebecca Wilkinson, the board's executive director.
After discussing the charter school's application for about an hour, the board approved it in a unanimous vote.
"We'll make you proud," said Cecilia Robinson-Woods, one of the leading founders of P3 and its executive director. Robinson-Woods is currently Millwood schools' superintendent. She'll remain the district's leader as she guides the P3.
During her presentation, Smith also presented several strengths in P3's application, including "a sound curriculum and instruction program," a "strong mission and vision," community partnerships and a year-round calendar.
"If you have a student that lives in the northeast part of Oklahoma City, they do not have this as a choice for schooling from age 3 to 5," Smith said.
The school will partner with Oklahoma City University's Montessori teacher certificate program to develop educators and "support their staff through professional learning opportunities," Smith said. The charter currently has three churches that have shown interest in housing the school.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Public Montessori school to open in northeast Oklahoma City
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