By Jennifer Mrozowski
Enquirer staff writer

Cincinnati Public Schools' Montessori parents are in an uproar because, as they see it, the school district won't expand the popular magnet program or address long waiting lists.

Because of declining enrollment, school officials are reconsidering building some schools, including a second Montessori high school, as part of the district's $1 billion construction project.

Officials say there's not enough demand for another Montessori high school.

But parents such as Deborah Sensel-Davis disagree. They say the lack of space in the coveted Montessori programs could force out supportive families who want access to one of the few K-12 public Montessori programs in the nation. That's a concern as the district's population continues to dwindle.

Speaking before the school board last week, the College Hill resident said: "Are you saying, 'Let's make sure there are not enough Montessori spaces continuing through high school so those pesky, involved and middle-class families will be sure to leave the district'?

"If we keep narrowing the quality possibilities, they'll move out in droves - like rats escaping a burning ship."

The Montessori method, developed in the early 1900s, has a history of popularity with Cincinnati public school parents.

The program debuted here nearly three decades ago and parents have camped out overnight to enroll their children.

They say they like the hands-on techniques that encourage students to learn through experience rather than just lecture and rote memorization. Students are grouped in multi-age classrooms, which are open and carpeted so the learning environment is comfortable and casual.

Dozens of parents turned out for a school board meeting last week to urge the district to build the second Montessori high school.

The board hasn't changed the plan to build it, but school officials have floated other plans that strike the school from the building program. The district lost 13 percent of its population since 1999, a faster drop than expected, forcing it to scale back the building project.

But Montessori supporters point out that Clark Montessori , a high school in Hyde Park, is full at around 600 students and has a waiting list of about 100. The school received the top ranking of "Excellent" from the state for its test scores, one of the few in the district to do so.

"We're going to see a situation where if a parent is not going to be guaranteed that their children can go to Clark, then they're going to look for other options," said Mike Brestel, chairman of the school decision-making council at Clark.

District figures also show 523 students on a waiting list for the district's four elementary Montessori schools, which feed into Clark.

But district officials say the number of elementary Montessori students going into a Montessori high school don't support building a second 600-student high school.

While they haven't ruled out building a second school, estimated at $15.9 million, they are considering other options for expansion.

District data show that just 56 percent of sixth-graders in the last two years continued their education at Clark Montessori, which houses grades 7-12. Superintendent Alton Frailey wants to look at ways to improve that.

"The thing I want to look at is the process by which folks get in Montessori schools," Frailey said. The programs accept fewer students than the buildings can accommodate. "If the demand is that high and if folks are wanting in, why are some folks not getting in?"

Filling those seats would expand the program, he said.

Some regular high schools also have space for possible expansion, Frailey said.

District spokeswoman Janet Walsh said the administration plans to meet with Montessori supporters, but a date has not been set.

Meanwhile, some parents are in limbo.

Norwood resident Joyce McDowell is on a waiting list to enroll her daughter, Katy Thompson, in Clark Montessori. Katy now attends St. Paul Lutheran School in Madisonville. The family would have to pay tuition at Clark because they don't live in Cincinnati school district.

"There's no way to go in there and not be wowed by the whole concept of it," McDowell said of Clark. "We're praying Katy will get in. We feel it's a good fit for her."

Though Clark is their first choice, the family is considering several other private schools if Clark is full.

---

E-mail jmrozowski@enquirer.com