Cutting paraprofessionals will break CPS Montessori classrooms
Cincinnati Public Schools is unique for its awesome nine Montessori communities. The district is a leader nationwide and had the first free public Montessori elementary and high school in the country.
CPS is celebrating the 50th anniversary of Montessori education. From the West Side to the East Side, Cincinnati's Montessori schools are thriving and full, with a ninth Montessori school to open in the fall of 2025 to fill the gap from the sudden closure of Xavier University's Montessori Lab School. Montessori schools are caring communities, promoting compassion, creativity, curiosity and hands-on learning. As a parent of two who are enrolled in a Montessori elementary school, I am so thankful we have such amazing, free Montessori programs in our city.
More: Timeline of Montessori education in Cincinnati
Recently, the district's superintendent and the treasurer presented proposed budget cuts to the school board, which included reducing classroom paraprofessionals in Montessori schools by half. Montessori classrooms are designed to encourage hands-on and independent learning. They run similar to an orchestra. The teacher is the conductor, the paraprofessional in the classroom is the concertmaster, supporting both students and the teacher, while the students are the musicians. Each role is important to creating the symphony of learning within a Montessori environment.
One of the hallmarks of Montessori education is a multi-grade classroom. One adult cannot be expected to manage a community of learners in different grades who are sorting through different works (assignments) alone. Paraprofessionals are vital to kids in the classroom, especially supporting kids who may struggle or need to refocus. I love that my kids have a chance to have another caring adult in their lives. Not only is reducing paraprofessionals harmful to kids in the classroom, but it also goes against the board-approved Montessori curriculum, which has taken years to approve and officially adopt.
More: Lemonade out of lemons: How Montessori parents opened a new school in 100 days
Reducing paraprofessionals will also compromise the integrity and efficacy of Montessori learning in the district. This change would put the high schools at risk of losing their prestigious American Montessori accreditation, and the elementary schools would never be able to earn accreditation. Montessori without paraprofessionals does not work. We will cripple our healthy, thriving, full Montessori schools to get a dysfunctional Montessorta mess. Maria would not approve.
Our superintendent and school board are facing an impossible task due to the cuts to education at the federal and state levels. These cuts are taking place as a result of our state leaders ignoring the bipartisan fair school funding formula and will cause CPS to lose $39 million (all to give the stinking Cleveland Browns $600 million for a stadium).
More: Cincinnati Public Schools to lose city health department nurses. What to know
I am calling all of our state senators on the finance committee to ask them to hold up their end of the bargain and uphold our state constitution. But now I'm imploring Superintendent Shauna Murphy and the CPS board, please do not take away caring adults from the classroom. This does not jibe with the #HereForKids promise.
Let's play to our strengths and uphold the Cincinnati tradition of the nation's best public Montessori schools. Our kids are worth it.
Sarah Beach is a proud parent of two Gamble Montessori Elementary students in Westwood.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati's Montessori schools are strength worth defending | Opinion
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