Kingston board votes 8-1 to end George Washington Montessori program after 2024–25 school year

The Kingston City School District Board of Education voted 8–1 on a motion to follow the superintendent’s recommendation and direct administration “to take the necessary steps to cease the Montessori program at George Washington following the 2024–25 school year.” The motion was made by Trustee Mister Ryder and seconded; the board recorded eight votes in favor and one opposed.

Board members and administrators framed the vote as a response to what the superintendent described as inequitable resource allocation and stagnant academic performance at George Washington Elementary School. “Kingston City School District is spending $3,000 more per student than the district average at George Washington Elementary School,” Dr. Padalino, the district superintendent, told trustees during his report, citing staffing and program costs.

The vote came after an extended public comment period that included several Kingston teachers who testified in favor of the district’s pilot of the Amplify Core Knowledge Language Arts curriculum (CKLA). Bonnie Van Cleek, a teacher at Chambers Elementary School and president of the Kingston Teachers Federation, said pilot classrooms showed “increased student engagement” and that CKLA’s “organized, comprehensive design has supported…