SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – With school starting in South Lake Tahoe on Monday, schools in the Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) have been holding back-to-school “kickstart” events. Paperwork, schedules, PE clothes, and other resources have been at the schools, giving parents and students a head start to the year.
One major part of the start-of-school process this year is the “Funding Our Future Campaign” (Funding), an effort to get 100 percent of the students to complete the important and necessary document. Without all students filling these out, major funding is at risk for not only LTUSD but also the Boys and Girls Club of Lake Tahoe.
District personnel and LTUSD school board members have been dressed in the pink Funding Our Future t-shirts at the school sites, meeting with parents and helping to expedite the processing of the Funding documents.
Aligned with the Free & Reduced-Price Meals Application, Funding is about more than just school meals. It directly impacts school funding that supports every student in the district.
How It Helps
Even if your child doesn’t eat school meals, your application:
- Increases State & Federal Funding for LTUSD schools.
- Supports academic programs, technology, and classroom
resources. - Expands after-school programs, tutoring, and enrichment
opportunities. - Ensures every student benefits – not just those receiving Free & Reduced Lunch benefits
School lunches have been free in LTUSD schools for every student since COVID due to guaranteed funding from Governor Newsom. With the incentive for free lunches gone, the application completion rate has dropped dramatically, even though the district has explained the situation.
School districts with approximately 55 percent (some other variables are involved) or more of their student population qualifying for Free & Reduced meals receive about $300,000 to $500,00 a year to help with programs, including libraries, for all students. BGCLT also receives extra funding for all attendees when the district hits the 55 percent benchmark.
Many assume South Lake Tahoe has a large population of low-income families, but last year’s returned Free & Reduced documents showed only 44 percent in the lower income bracket. LTUSD said that more families filling out the forms should result in that percentage going up and being more accurate.
For a link to income levels for the Free and Reduced, visit HERE. Even if a family thinks they make too much money, the district asks for a completed form due to other variables.
The form takes only a few minutes to complete, with all information in it made private and secure.
Forms can still be completed with all information and returned through September 15. They can be obtained in school offices or on the district website.
