Former Clarksville resident's efforts to bring first public charter school to Howard thwarted for third time by school board

Oct. 25—Raising her three sons in Clarksville in the 1990s, Sue Wagner noticed many Korean American and first-generation immigrant families in Howard County struggling to find time to read to their children, given the demands of service industry jobs.

"I wanted these Korean American children to discover reading is fun," said Wagner, 65, who grew up in South Korea before moving to the U.S. in 1979. In summer 2000 she launched a reading club for the children of local immigrant families to teach them English as a second language.

"If they read a lot of books, [students] can excel at each of their areas, whether they are a chef or a factory worker or a policeman, or just a mom or father," explained Wagner, who eventually quit her job to devote herself to the reading group.

More than 20 years later, the club is now a nonprofit, Reading Opens Doors, Inc., which Wagner hopes will launch the first public charter school in the county. The school would enroll students in kindergarten through fifth grade.

Wagner's latest charter application — her third in three years — was unanimously rejected by the Howard school board Oct. 20, but she steadfastly believes a charter school can close opportunity gaps she continues to see among immigrants and economically disadvantaged families in the Jessup area.

"I do appreciate their efforts," said board Chair Vicky Cutroneo after the vote to reject the application. "We'll likely see them again and hopefully they can be successful and meet the standards that are necessary to become a charter school in Howard County."

Wagner said she intends to improve the application and reapply. The most difficult part of launching the school, she added, is finding a facility from which to rent space. This has been a struggle in neighboring Frederick County as well. The nonprofit that runs two public charter schools there has struggled to find appropriate, affordable spaces to house its schools.

"Both of our Montessori charter schools are five-star schools with the state of Maryland and they're thriving," said Frederick resident Tara Dunsmore, 42, president of the board of trustees for Monocacy Montessori Communities Inc., a parent-run nonprofit that holds the charter for Frederick's two Montessori public charter schools. "I absolutely applaud the group in Howard County for pushing ahead and trying to make it work."

Public charter schools in Maryland

Since Maryland's charter law passed in 2003, 50 public charter schools have opened throughout the state. These schools are still part of their respective district's public school system, but charter schools operate with a unique degree of autonomy that allows for creative learning approaches to meet specific needs of students and communities.

"This is not a replacement for public schools, this just adds on top," said state Del. Reid Novotny, a Republican representing parts of Howard and Carroll counties, who testified in support of Reading Opens Doors at an Oct. 4 school board hearing. "If we have this ability to actually help our students go to a school which they like, which they can learn from, which their parents opt into, why would we not take this opportunity?"

Used by private and public schools alike, the Montessori method emphasizes hands-on activities and an open learning environment. Students are free to select many of their activities themselves, take cross-curricular classes and are typically placed into mixed-age cohorts as opposed to formal grades.

"I don't hold it up as better than [traditional schools], I hold it up as different," said Amy Dorman, principal of Frederick's Monocacy Valley Montessori Public Charter School, the first charter school in the state. "I've actually seen children come to Montessori schools and not do so well because they prefer a method where the teacher is directing the activities and your schedule."

Wagner's youngest son attended a private Montessori nursery school where she saw firsthand the effectiveness of the model she now wants to bring to a wider range of Howard County residents.

"A lot of families, especially new immigrant ESL families, go to Howard County thinking their children will be in the best school district," said Wagner, adding that income barriers prevent them from choosing alternative educational models when the traditional system isn't a fit. "We can do better."

Frederick County has seen demand for its two public Montessori schools soar, with waitlists at both schools exceeding 1,000 students each year, according to Dunsmore. Public charter schools are open to all students in a jurisdiction, but must conduct lotteries to fill their seats.

'It's like having a baby'

Prospective public charter schools in Howard County must submit applications to the HCPSS Charter School Office, which evaluates the proposed educational, organizational and business plans for operating the new school.

The HCPSS evaluation committee found that Reading Opens Doors' most recent application failed to meet Maryland State Department of Education curriculum standards and lacked sufficient details in areas including special education services, fundraising and budgeting for facilities.

"For any resident who applies to open a charter school, I think it's very commendable," said Antwan Perry, who took over as HCPSS charter school liaison this year and oversees the application process. "But of course MSDE is looking at it as 'We don't want to jeopardize the experiences of students.'"

While Maryland school districts are required to fund public charters at rates commensurate to traditional schools, charter schools do not receive funding for facilities or capital projects, meaning they must independently fundraise for those expenses.

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"The big unknown is the land or facility for the school," said Wagner, who remains undeterred and wants to continue improving the application based on feedback provided by Howard's Charter School Office.

Wagner has been in contact with several churches in southern Howard County about leasing space for classrooms or acquiring acreage to build on. In addition to a reading-heavy curriculum and Montessori education, her dream school would have an indoor farm to supplement meals and teach students gardening skills.

"It's kind of like having a baby," said Marilyn Horan, principal of Carroll Creek Montessori Public Charter School in Frederick, about opening a new charter school. "Is anybody ever really prepared?"

Horan previously ran a Montessori magnet school in Indiana and said she's grateful for the safeguards Maryland's charter law puts in place to ensure taxpayers' money is spent appropriately and charter schools are held to high standards. At the same time, she says Carroll Creek still faced struggles when it opened and that charter schools need to be given grace periods as they find their footing.

"True growth comes in that struggle," reflected Horan, who served as a consultant to Reading Opens Doors for its application. "I hope that some of the people from Howard County actually would come and visit and see what this really looks like and what a gift it is for the kids."

Wagner sold her Howard County house in 2019 to move to St. Louis but frequently commutes back east to work on the application and talk to county partners about the charter school plan. She hopes what started as a book club in her house will one day become a brick-and-mortar testament to the impact reading can have on children's lives.

"She lives in the Midwest now and is still dedicated to the children of Howard County," Horan said. "You can't get much more dedicated than that."