Madison Elementary School

As a contactor worker, I observed some rather unsavory parts of working at Gardner Elementary. First, they expect silence from kids in the hallway (even the lunch line). They yell at kids frequently and adhere to rigid rules that make teaching or working at the school 10x harder. The way they punish kids is punitive and does not help bring about a more positive outcome. They expect complete compliance and are SEVERELY lacking in the special ed department. They are understaffed severely and since they don't want to pay an actual living wage, they put their workers in this situation that is not only unethical but not safe. The kids that require 1:1, do not get it. Because there's not enough employees. By law, a lot of those IEPs REQUIRE it.If you are a parent who may only speak Spanish, don't expect them to try and accommodate you or understand cultural differences.That's just the beginning. If you are a contracted employee, expect to be treated like an an unwelcome visitor. I had a woman (Lisa) yell some snarky comments at me in the parking lot when I was having car issues. I had an para (Jessica) tell me to leave. That doesn't even begin to cover the pettiness going on with the paras themselves. There was not ONE DAY that I heard anything nice from their staff.Please, do yourself a HUGE favor and stay away from this place.

New administration has made amazing changes in the past year and this year to really improve the environment and overall learning. Sunflower is back to its former glory!

Great school and staff. I love how inclusive everyone is

My son had a pretty good experience here. He was only here for 3rd and 4th. He came halfway through 3rd due to virtual learning during COVID. He was behind as expected with being virtual for over a year but he caught up okay. I wasn’t thrilled with his 3rd grade teacher, didn’t have a ton of experience and didn’t think she did great with meeting his needs (he has adhd) my guess is just lack of experience since she was young. However, his 4th grade teacher has been great! He likes his school a lot. Overall I think this is a pretty good school!