Discussions about the possible merger of Lagunitas School’s Montessori and Open Classroom programs reignited at a school board meeting late last month. The idea, which stirred emotions when district administrators raised it last year, was prompted by hiring difficulties and declining enrollment since the pandemic. The Montessori program has more students than Open Classroom, with 50 students compared to 34, a number that has shrunk by nearly 50 since before the pandemic. The district says the significant loss in Open enrollment was due to Covid restrictions, which hindered the program’s signature approach. At a three-hour discussion on Nov. 17, parents from both programs aired concerns. Some expressed worry that their children were not experiencing a robust social life in classes with small numbers and varying age groups, while others said the tradition of the Open Classroom was integral to the school and deserved help during a period of struggle. The board said that an immediate merger is off the table, but that it plans to establish a policy that would guide such a decision in the future. The Open and Montessori programs now share around the same number of teachers and both could use additional support from aides. But at $17 an hour, those positions have been hard to fill. Principal Laura Shain said that since the school year started, two children have left for Ross Valley Charter School and one family has moved away. Yet with new families that have moved into the district, this year’s enrollment has remained stable. Ms. Shain said they are expecting two new families in the new year. Steve Rebscher, a trustee for over 16 years, said programs can collapse quickly when a program begins to lose staff or students. He pointed to the Waldorf-inspired program, which the board cut in 2014 amid high staff and student turnover. Mr. Rebscher said he sees a world in which the two remaining programs survive by sharing resources. Last year, Janelle Ferhart pivoted from teaching in Open to teaching P.E. for both programs, allowing kids from both programs to interact. “We are interested in exploring programmatic changes we can make to have kids from the Open Classroom interacting with Montessori,” Mr. Rebscher said. “Merging art programs, music, field trips and more could accomplish this, and we’ve already done it with physical education.” Though many parents described the topic of a merger as upsetting, the meeting allowed them to better understand each other’s struggles. Laura Pucci, who recently moved to the valley so her 4-year-old could enroll in the Open Classroom, said she has never had a program work this well for her son. “I’m scared that if we merge, the culture of the Open Classroom might be destroyed,” Ms. Pucci said. A survey distributed by Montessori parents last March painted an unclear picture, but it did show some disapproval of the Open program among parents newer to the district. Superintendent John Carroll told the Light in June that administrators were not seeing as strong a loyalty to individual programs as had been seen in the past. Trustee Amos Klausner proposed forming a subcommittee to discuss viable options for how the two programs could operate. He said a group dedicated to the issue could gather input from parents, conduct a new survey and provide the hard data important for any change. Everyone at the meeting agreed that parents with kids at home who can’t afford a sitter were missing out on the opportunity to voice their opinions, and trustee Denise Bohman opposed Mr. Klausner’s proposal for a subcommittee, saying she prefers open forums. Ms. Shain said she will provide a framework for how the board will move forward on the topic of merging at the school board meeting in December. Such a framework will involve creating a new policy on program viability in relation to enrollment and identifying ways to share resources, she said.