Monocacy Valley Montessori Public Charter School (MVMPCS) is managed by Monocacy Montessori Communities Inc., (MMCI) and is governed by a Governing Council, consisting of parents, the principal, staff representatives, and members of the Frederick community.
What is MMCI?
MMCI is a local, volunteer-driven, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that manages two Frederick County public Montessori charter schools – Carroll Creek Montessori (CCM), opened in fall 2012, and Monocacy Valley Montessori (MVM), opened in fall 2002.
MMCI is the legal entity which originated the application and holds the school's charter (or contract) with the Frederick County Board of Education and is responsible for ensuring compliance with the charter agreement and negotiating any necessary changes or amendments to the charter. It also runs and funds all support programs that serve our school community such as before and after care, after school enrichment, and summer camps. MMCI is the leaseholder for our current building and holds the responsibility of securing our new location.
MMCI’s schools are open to all children that live in Frederick County and begin with Pre-K at age 3. All members of both the MVM and CCM communities—parents, staff, founders whose children are not yet school age—are automatically members of MMCI. The nonprofit is governed by a Board of Trustees (BOT), elected annually from the membership. The BOT is responsible for setting the mission and strategic direction of the organization with oversight of the organization’s finances, operations, and overarching policies.
What is the Governing Council?
The Governing Council is a standing committee of the Board of Trustees and serves as the policy making body for MVMPCS. The Governing Council also serves as our School Improvement Team (SIT), required by the FCPS charter school policy, This independence is a result of our status as a charter school and allows us to develop policies necessary to realize the goals of our school’s charter and meet the needs of our families. This is a truly unique opportunity within the public school system.
The parent positions on the GC are filled by parents or guardians of current MVMPCS students. Elections for these positions are held every fall as current members’ two year terms expire in rotation. Staff elects their own representatives. GC meetings are open to all parents and staff; minutes are published on our Google groups School News Forum.
Much of the work of the GC and MMCI is carried out by parents and teachers working on a large number of committees—library, volunteer, building & grounds, strategic planning, staffing, community outreach/hospitality, communications and fundraising. Parents, faculty and staff are urged to join a committee and help in the development and continuing operation of the school. Parental involvement is critical to the success of the school.