A Kyle area Montessori school’s plan to rezone for expansion got the green light from city leadership May 21, despite a few bumps in the road.
By a 7-0 vote on first and final reading, the Kyle City Council May 21 approved rezoning property that houses La Casa de Bambini, also known as the Montessori School of Kyle, to Residential 3 (R-1-3).
The rezoning item, however, came to the dais under complicated circumstances. The property where the school is located, 701 Scott Street, was not correctly zoned, despite the campus’ existence. Half of that property was zoned as Agricultural (AG) while the other half was Residential 1 (R-1).
School officials planned to move into a second building on the parcel, but the city requested a rezoning for the plots of land.
According to city documents, for “reasons unknown,” the school was not required to incorporate Kyle development regulations prior to opening.
City officials said R-1-3 was preferred as it allows for more than one home to exist on a property. R-1 zoning allows for the property to house only one structure.
However, city officials said Montessori Schools count as public schools and are allowed in most types of zoning.
During a May 14 public hearing, teachers at the school spoke about the importance of the school’s expansion, as it was the first of its kind to exist in Kyle in 2002 and is one of the few non-traditional education options within the city.
Genevieve Vaughn, owner and operator of the school, said the school seeks to not only expand, but also begin projects to improve the current building.
Parents and teachers said the need for children to attend Pre-Kindergarten has risen. Although House Bill 3, which allows all-day Pre-K funding in Texas, many parents will still be looking to holistic schooling before their child ages into first grade.
“I lived a quarter mile down the street from the Montessori school for 15 years and they’ve been a great neighbor,” said resident Lisa Starlin. “We’ve got this big neighborhood across the street from them now, so there is more need for more quality childcare in our neighborhood.”
Kyle’s options for Pre-K will expand in the fall semester with Hays CISD’s increased capacity for Pre-K classes. However, all-day Pre-K mandated by the State of Texas will still be available only to qualifying children, not all children. The Montessori’s teachers and parents are hoping the expansion will allow the school to take children off the school’s waitlist and put them into the classroom.
“This project is especially important to our family,” said resident Ashley Stagni. “This project will allow us to have two separate rooms, which means a more quality education. If we want better elementary schools, better pre-schools are what we need.”
