Petition for Reconsideration of Lottery Process for J. Allen Axson Pre K 4 Students Reapplying for Kindergarten

* If you have already signed the hard copy of the petition please do not sign this*

The newly adopted procedures for the lottery process, and more specifically, having four-year- old students reapply for kindergarten at our school is a concern for the parents and staff at J. Allen Axson Montessori School. We voice our concern about the impact the rule, will have on the Montessori process and offer suggestions about ways we can work with the School District to meet the School District’s goals without the damaging impact that the current proposal may have on our school community.
Again, we unfortunately have not been part of the decision-making process for this rule change, but it is our understanding that one or more board members had previous concerns about continuity of students trumping access to schools. With that understanding, our SAC discussed the issue again at our most recent meeting and propose to you the following solutions to make Axson accessible to all families:

• Proposal One – Have the magnet office provide information on the website or information to applicants that financial assistance is available for Pre-K 3 and 4- year-olds who qualify
• Proposal Two – Axson will assist the District with marketing the Montessori program to Title 1 Students
• Proposal Three – Axson will reserve additional kindergarten seats for Title 1 students to fill. This would allow new students to be introduced to our Montessori community without removing children from the process or upsetting the model with heavy turnover
• Proposal Four – Axson will work closely or directly with Early Learning Coalition (ELC) and other organizations to attract more economically disadvantaged students and provide enrollment and financial assistance to those students
• Proposal Five – Axson will partner with the ELC and other organizations to educate the larger community about Montessori pedagogy and the public