Days before his retirement, Superintendent of Schools Jerry D. Weast recommended approval for the first charter school in Montgomery County.

In a report released Thursday, Weast recommended that the Community Montessori Public Charter School be approved by the Board of Education.

In its application filed in April, Community Montessori representatives proposed a program for students in pre-kindergarten through the third grade. The charter school program would expand on the work of Crossway Community’s nonprofit in Kensington that helps women and their children in poverty.

The group’s prior application in 2010 was rejected by the school board.

There are no charter schools operating in Montgomery County.

“We are very excited and looking forward to a wonderful partnership with the Montgomery County Public School system,” said Kathleen Guinan, executive director of the Crossway Community organization who has been in charge of the group’s charter school application.

In the same report, Weast recommended that the school board deny the other charter school application submitted this year from Seneca Creek Public Charter School, which would have provided a focus on environmental science and outdoor education for students in kindergarten through eighth grade in Germantown.

Discussing Crossway Community’s second application, Weast cited the educational consultant who has agreed to work with the new school, as well as the principal of a Montessori school in Hartford, Conn., who agreed to partner with the Community Montessori school.

“In particular, the review panel found that the applicant had a particularly strong academic design,” Weast wrote in his report to the board.

While he said certain areas of Community Montessori’s application still need work, he said the hundreds of hours of review by the school system revealed that the school would have a strong foundation.

“Community Montessori presents a concept that would be unique for Montgomery County Public Schools and it is clear the applicant has the knowledge, skills and plan to be successful,” Weast wrote.

Discussing the Seneca Creek application, Weast said there were significant concerns about governance and finance, as well as concerns about how the needs of special education and English language learners would be met.

Weast’s report will be presented to the school board at its meeting on Monday, when the applications will be discussed. The school board will vote on the two applications July 7.

Incoming superintendent Joshua P. Starr, who starts July 1, declined to comment on Weast’s report.

aujifusa@gazette.net