Opinion: Why themed schools work in South Lake Tahoe

As we look at reopening the Al Tahoe Elementary School as a STEAM academy, it is important to take a look back at the journey Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) has taken to get to where we are today.

Following decades of desegregation efforts and forced busing, lawsuits in the 1990s effectively brought a halt to desegregation efforts in the country. Neighborhood schools in South Lake Tahoe may have been segregated, not only based on race, but based on income levels.

Schools of choice for parents and students have shown that a themed-approach, or “magnet,” learning environment and combination of schools and culturally diverse students is best for helping all students achieve. With declining enrollment as jobs, and young families, moved out of the area in the early 2000s, two elementary schools closed: Meyers and Al Tahoe. But two years later, with the District bringing back class-size reduction in grades K-3, it required the opening of another elementary school due to overcrowding at the other three schools.

School officials used the opportunity to combine neighborhoods and students and created a “school of choice” with Meyers Elementary being recreated and resurrecting as the Lake Tahoe Environmental Science Magnet School in the 2005/2006 school year. The idea was to reopen a closed school with a specific theme which would not only alleviate overcrowding, but it would allow students from all areas of the district to attend.

Providing themed schools allows parents living anywhere in the District to choose what best suits their child’s interests and motivates them to come to school.

While each of our schools is unique, the education at each site is the same high quality. All grades across the District, from Kindergarten through 8th grade, have the same curriculum materials, pacing, 1:1 technology, and teacher training. An elementary school’s individual theme is integrated into the curriculum and the school day through project-based learning and specialized field trips to emphasize the themes. For example, teachers will create Common Core English assignments that include writing about an environmental science topic, values of organic produce, or the development of hip hop dance.

Lake Tahoe Unified School District themed elementary schools have several goals:
1. Create an integrated learning environment at each school,
2. Provide the same excellent education at each site while adding a unique 'flavor' to further excite our learners while exposing our students to exciting worlds beyond typical common core curriculum, and
3. Give our elementary students a glimpse of programs available at South Tahoe Middle School and South Tahoe High School to whet their interest in learning.
The discussion occurring now regarding the opening of Al Tahoe Elementary as a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Mathematics) themed school continues this process. Each school is unique and the same educational opportunities are available to all students.

Current elementary schools have the following themes: Bijou Community School is a Two-Way Immersion (Spanish-English) School, Tahoe Valley Elementary is Performing Arts based, and Sierra House Elementary is an athletic/mountain lifestyle academy.

A lot of research and thoughtful planning has gone into the new school site. With the creation of the LCAP (Local Control Accountability Plan), all stakeholders (staff and parents) are involved in creating a budget that helps support each of our school sites.

There is some misconception that more money goes to certain schools and that subjects like science, nutrition, music, performing arts, and physical education, are not included at the other school sites, and this isn’t the case. There is just more emphasis at the school of choice.

I encourage every member of our community to become more involved in the education of our future generations by supporting school of choice.