The Open Classroom community reached consensus last week to approve the installation of sliding doors in the program’s facility at San Geronimo School. Principal Laura Shain spoke with parents and teachers during a three-hour meeting and helped mediate a resolution. Teachers had been divided in half on the issue, with some worried that the doors would break up the program’s unique sense of cohesion and others convinced that the ability to separate classrooms more easily would help students focus. Ms. Shain said she reached a breakthrough with the teachers by appealing to the pillars and overall philosophy of Open Classroom, which promotes freedom of movement among students in order to encourage them to develop their own individual learning styles and paces. “All the teachers agreed that in order to create the sense of collaboration needed for Open Classroom, they would need to compromise on this issue,” Ms. Shain said. “There came a point when the group realized that the method of protecting the program was actually blocking the program’s future. Without compromising, you actually hurt relationships.” Teachers agreed to set restrictions on when the doors could and could not be closed. With consensus between the teachers, Ms. Shain said, parents came on board and the entire community reached consensus. The doors represented the last piece of the puzzle for design plans to renovate the Open Classroom campus—among other facilities in the Lagunitas School District—over the summer. Superintendent John Carroll has finished interviews with potential construction companies and will recommend that the board approve the hiring of San Francisco-based E.F. Brett and Company, Inc., at this evening’s monthly meeting. The board is also expected to approve the Open Classroom’s recommendation on the doors. Funds for the project were raised from a $5 million bond measure passed in 2013.