Dear Mr. Ginn,
My name is [REDACTED], and my son, [REDACTED], is a 10th grade student at TIDE Academy. I am writing in response to the committee recommendation you presented jointly with Ms. Thompson on November 12, proposing that the District begin a formal process that may lead to the closure of TIDE Academy.
As a parent directly affected by this recommendation, I must express both my concern and my expectation for full transparency.
TIDE Academy is not a temporary program. It was deliberately planned by SUHSD, funded with voter-approved Measure A bond money, and constructed as a long-term STEM/STEAM investment. The District justified millions of dollars in taxpayer-funded construction by promising a permanent, innovative small high school -- not a pilot to be reconsidered just five years later.
This is why your recommendation raises serious questions:
- What specific financial model or cost-per-student analysis was used?
- Why was TIDE evaluated without notifying families or staff beforehand?
- Why was closure considered before exploring alternatives such as restructuring, program redesign, targeted funding, or enrollment support?
- Why was TIDE selected when larger under-enrolled sites exist across SUHSD?
As someone with a long history in school governance and finance, you understand how decisions like this impact the community's trust. A proposal of this magnitude cannot be justified with vague language about "resource alignment" -- families deserve the actual numbers, data sources, and assumptions.
I will be present at the November 19 meeting and expect a clear explanation of the data and process that led to this recommendation. Families will not quietly accept a process that destabilizes a school intentionally built and paid for by this community.
Our students deserve stability and a long-term commitment from the District -- not uncertainty created by premature discussions of closure.
Sincerely,
[REDACTED]
TIDE Academy Parent
[REDACTED]