In a 4-1 vote, trustees for the Lagunitas School District voted last Friday to combine the Montessori and Open Classroom programs into a unified program based on the philosophies of both—a move prompted by low enrollment and staffing challenges. Board president Richard Sloan opposed the merger, calling it premature and an unacceptable dilution of the unique programs.
The merger proposal was crafted by superintendent and principal Laura Shain, but the idea was first proposed…