Letter to the Editor: Proposed Santa Cruz Montessori School is NOT the Established Santa Cruz Montessori School in Aptos

My name is Nico Peruzzi, and I'm the president of the board of trustees at Santa Cruz Montessori School.

Last week, I came upon your thought-provoking article on local protests surrounding the establishment of a Montessori charter school in the Santa Cruz area.  I was somewhat alarmed when I read the title of the piece () as it sounded like people were protesting our school. 

Would you be willing to add some clarification to the article and/or change the title such that there is no confusion? 

Santa Cruz Montessori School is a private non-profit school established in 1964 with two campuses in Aptos serving approximately 280 children from ages 18 months through 15 years. 

We are not associated with the movement in Santa Cruz to establish a Montessori charter school (their proposed name is Maria Montessori Charter School). 

Today, quality Montessori programs are expensive to create and maintain because they receive no state support.  However, while the tuition at Santa Cruz Montessori, for example, is currently $12,000 or above, over 40% of SCM families who qualify attend with financial aid.

SCM's financial aid program is 100% confidential which provides students with a learning environment that acknowledges and celebrates all, regardless of ability to pay.  We would greatly appreciate it if you could clarify the above, so that confusion is minimized.

Thank you, Nico

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Nico Peruzzi, Ph.D.