Board of Directors
The Board of Directors is a non-profit governing body consisting of parents and community members established to oversee the implementation of the school charter as approved by the Utah State Office of Education.
Board Members
Mary Wurm recently retired from Ogden City School District after 32 years as an administrative assistant. Mary served on the School Leadership Team as well as other various school and district committees.
In her career with Ogden City School District, Mary was the recipient of several awards including the “Focus on Excellence Award”, the “Empowering Excellence Through Education Award”, and the “Outstanding Classified Employee of the Year Award.
Mary is fully committed to the Board and the students of Maria Montessori Academy. Mary too believes, as Dr. Maria Montessori stated, “that all children are uniquely intelligent.” Mary Wurm wholeheartedly loves the concept of “Free the Child’s potential and you will transform him into the world.”
Mary loves spending time with her husband, children, and grandchildren. In her spare time she likes to sew, camp, hang out with friends, and especially travel with her husband.
Evelyn Brown worked in education for 35 years. She enjoyed loved her career working with high school students teaching Language Arts and other subjects. Her favorite part of teaching was Project Based Learning where students could master academic skills in a “real world” setting.
Evelyn is a long-time resident of the Ogden area and supports the upward growth that has made Ogden a wonderful community. She believes Charter schools have become a great asset to this growth, and fully supports the Montessori philosophy, having employed many of the Montessori principles throughout her career. She looks forward to being a partner in the success and growth of the Maria Montessori Academy.
Evelyn enjoys fishing, music, and spending time with her family and friends.
Chalee Staheli studied Applied and Computational Mathematics and currently works as a Software Engineer for the Air Force. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, creating art, working on the endless list of projects at her house, and spending time with her family.
Chalee and her husband Devin happily raise their 3 children and Chalee has seen firsthand the academic and social benefits of a Montessori education as her children work through the curriculum at Maria Montessori Academy. She is a huge proponent of Montessori philosophy and is excited to serve the Maria Montessori Academy community as a board member.
Sarah Fonnesbeck is an Idaho native living in both northern and southern parts of the state before moving to Carson City, Nevada where she graduated from high school. She earned her bachelors degree in Social Work at Weber State University and her Masters of Social Work at the University of Utah. Sarah worked for several years as an LCSW clinical therapist working with at-risk youth and families in mental heath settings. Sarah also served the youth and families of the Ogden and Weber School district after-school programs for several years before teaching as adjunct faculty at Weber State University for the Social Work Department. More recently, Sarah and her husband are actively engaged in running a small business designing and manufacturing off-road equipment and products in Ogden and shipping them globally. They are excited to continue to grow and expand their business and enjoy spending time off-roading and attending industry events.
Sarah and her husband James have 4 children, three currently attending MMA ages ranging from junior high to lower elementary. Sarah enjoys mountain biking, hiking, river rafting, cross-country skiing, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.
Sarah is a big proponent of Montessori philosophy and practices in helping children reach their full potential as individuals both academically and emotionally, and is excited to be a part of the continued growth and development of Maria Montessori Academy community as a board member.
Sandra Grant has a long history working in education. She has been an adjunct faculty member at multiple universities, service as a university department chair, and served as an education specialist at the USBE.
January Stagg has had experience teaching as an Adjunct Professor for San Diego State University, substitute teaching in public schools, and volunteer tutoring in Math and English for after-school programs.
Board Meetings
Maria Montessori Academy follows the Utah Open Meetings Act and meetings are open to the public. Meeting information is posted at least twenty-four (24) hours in advance on the Utah Public Notice Website, along with previous meeting materials.
Meeting minutes are also made available to the public by request. To request a written copy of board meeting minutes or an audio recording of an open meeting, please email your request to the administration.
Regularly scheduled board meetings may allow for public comment. Time will be limited in order to conduct business in a timely manner and will follow the Public Comment Guidelines.
Financial Oversight
The Governing Board oversees the financial health of the school and reviews budgets regularly. Budgets are adopted by the Governing Board and published on the Utah Public Finance Website. The Audit and Finance Committee is comprised of the Board President and the Financial Coordinator.
In accordance with Utah Code Ann. Section 53G-7-309, the governing board receives a budget report each month. The budget report includes the following information: (i) the amounts of all budget appropriations, (ii) the disbursements from the appropriations as of the date of the report, and (iii) the percentage of the disbursements as of the date of the report. The current budget report is available for public review and previous reports are available by request to the administration.
Stakeholders of Maria Montessori Academy may report concerns of fraud, waste, abuse, or non-compliance directly to the School’s administration or board. Alternatively, stakeholders may report such concerns directly to the Utah State Board of Education through their Public Education Hotline at (801) 538-7813. Full contact information for the Public Education Hotline can be found here.