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Ebridge Montessori seeks school-committee approval for K–6 program; committee continues review
Summary
Jean (Joan) Huang, founder and head of Ebridge Montessori School, described plans to restart an elementary program (Grades 1–6). The school said it previously received approval for an elementary program in 2010; the committee voted to continue review to verify the prior approval and arrange a possible site visit.
Jean Huang, head of school and founder of Ebridge Montessori School, requested the school committee’s approval to operate an elementary (Grades 1–6) program in Westborough. Committee members asked about tuition, enrollment and transportation; Jean said current tuition is about $18,500 per year and the elementary program currently enrolls 11 students (one from Westborough) with plans to grow toward 20–30 over time.
Jean said Ebridge is AMI-recognized (Association Montessori International) and that the elementary program had previously been approved by the committee in 2010 but paused due to space constraints. Committee members and the superintendent discussed possible obligations: transportation for students who live in Westborough (state regulation can require districts to provide transportation to private schools in town) and the proportional use of federal Title I/II funds if Westborough students attend local private schools.
School committee members said they needed to verify whether the 2010 approval remained valid and asked administration staff to research prior records. The committee debated procedural options; one member noted the legal standard: the committee must be satisfied that a private-school instruction is “thorough and efficient” and meets public-school standards in the area. Committee member Steve recommended searching archives to confirm the 2010 approval; the committee then voted to continue the matter to the next meeting to allow staff to verify records and schedule a possible site visit. The motion to continue passed unanimously (Aye 5-0).
Ending: The administration will research the prior 2010 approval and follow up with the school; school committee members invited Jean Huang to arrange a tour of the Ebridge facility while the committee completes its review.
