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"I purchased a house so that my son could come to this school. Where we're at is where we want to be," said Walter Mallick, whose kindergartner attends Mendenhall River Community School.

The monthly meeting of the school's site council also attracted Montessori supporters who spoke passionately about their program and desire to have their own space to teach.

Mallick countered Britten's comments by saying that while Montessori students stand to gain by consolidating classrooms at Mendenhall River, his child might have to endure a new school, new teachers and new friends.

Staff recommended moving two Montessori classrooms from Glacier Valley Elementary to Mendenhall River because renovations at Glacier Valley will reduce the number of rooms there, and Mendenhall River is projected to see a drop in enrollment.

The next year could bring more changes, as two additional Montessori classrooms are added at Mendenhall River to allow all of the program's classes be taught at the same place. Adolescent students in the Montessori program are already taught at Mendenhall River.

That would require a redistricting for the rest of the elementary students in the valley, including Glacier Valley, Riverbend, Auke Bay and Mendenhall River. Staff expected it to take place for the 2009-10 school year.

Superintendent Peggy Cowan spoke Monday to assure parents that a decision had not yet been made, and the district is still collecting information and taking public comment.

Other options outlined by staff include making no changes, moving special programs around instead of Montessori students, and moving Montessori students to Riverbend Elementary.

Parents tried to alleviate misconceptions Monday that Montessori is a private program or that it is exclusive to a certain socio-economic class.

While the Montessori preschool on Douglas Island is private, the Montessori Borealis program that includes kindergarten through eighth-grade students is part of the public school system. It has a support organization that provides teacher training and supplies, but students receive the same state funding as any other student.

The public program was founded in Juneau in 1994 after operating for two years in the private Douglas school. Being able to share classrooms and physically function together is a fundamental part of the teaching style, according to teacher Corey Crossett.

"We are a small learning community; we need to be in the same place," he said Monday.

The program includes about 100 students in the district.

While Montessori has its own style, Mendenhall River Community School is seeing great success with its Launching Literacy program that has helped improved state test scores, site council member Amy Steffian said.

"There is a special learning community going on here, too," Steffian said of Mendenhall River students. "I don't want to see children pulled out of this school."

Her next comment to the Montessori parents drew applause: "Let's stop thinking of a host school. Let's start thinking of your own place."

Cowan pointed out that because Juneau's enrollment numbers are on the decline, there would be no state funding to build a separate Montessori school.

The facilities committee is set to meet on the issue at noon Jan. 15 at the downtown Juneau Fire Hall. The committee will make a recommendation to the entire Juneau School Board, which will hear further public comment before making a decision.

• Contact Kim Marquis at 523-2279 or kim.marquis@juneauempire.com.