Lagunitas school sets special meeting to mull elementary program options

After weeks of discussion and debate, elementary school parents in the San Geronimo Valley are set to share their views on program options with the Lagunitas School District board of trustees at a special meeting next week.

The meeting is set for 6:30 p.m. March 31 at the school just off of Sir Francis Drake Boulevard in San Geronimo.

“I am extremely hopeful that all parents of elementary school-age children will come together and make a decision that’s best for everyone,” trustee Denise Bohman said.

Prior to the special meeting, parents from the district’s two current elementary school programs — Montessori and Open Classroom — met jointly on Wednesday to talk about potential changes.

“They wanted to sit down and talk, parent to parent,” said Laura Shain, the district’s superintendent.

At issue is what some parents have said is a need for change in the elementary school structure to compensate for declining enrollment. There has already been a successful collaboration this year between teachers in the two elementary groups.

At a board meeting in February, Shain mentioned the idea of some type of merger or combination. She later emailed parents to alert them of the possibilities and to see what their feelings might be. The idea was further discussed at the March 9 board meeting.

“Right now, the feeling for me is to take the best of each program and create something new,” Shain said on Tuesday.

Wednesday’s joint meeting aimed to discuss what a merger would look like, according to an email from Breeze Kinsey, an Open Classroom parent, and several other school parents. No decisions would be made and no teachers or administrators were set to attend.

“We understand there is a lot of confusion surrounding this conversation,” the email said. “One thing all parents have voiced is we need clear communication, information and to have our questions answered. We strongly believe in the power of information and equal access. ”

At least some district parents seem to be open to the idea of a merger of the two programs.

According to a March 1 open letter from the Montessori Parent Group, there is “heartfelt enthusiasm about the option of uniting with the parents or guardians of current Open Classroom students and working together to cultivate a thriving elementary program.”

“We appreciate the values, resources and beautiful elements of the current Open Classroom program,” the Montessori Parent Group letter said.

District teachers, meanwhile, wrote a letter to the board of trustees on March 9. In the letter, signed by seven teachers, they called for an end to the divisiveness and confusion.

“We are asking you as a school board to make it clear that all programs welcome all families and students,” the letter said. “That we are a district committed to making teachers, administrators, support staff, families and most of all kids feel safe and supported.”

Shain said the current elementary school staffing situation is in flux and would hinge on whatever changes are made.

Two Montessori teachers have resigned their posts, effective at the end of the school year, Shain said. In addition, a one-year contract for a local couple who are former teachers and who returned to teach Open Classroom during the pandemic will expire June 9, the last day of classes for the current school year, Shain said.

The district will seek new candidates for teaching positions for 2023-24, she said. However, the number of openings and the type of programs to be taught will depend on whatever new structure is created, Shain said.

“If there is a merger, then we would only have one opening,” she said.

The Lagunitas Open Classroom, which includes kindergarten through sixth grade, has been in place since 1971. The Open Classroom serves a variety of ages, so that students of two or more grade levels are taught together in one class.

Lagunitas Montessori is the only public Montessori program in Marin County, according to the district website. The program, which uses the methods of educator Maria Montessori, started in 1983. It serves children in transitional kindergarten through fifth grade.