Enrollment up in South Lake Tahoe schools; Homeless youth numbers increase

Dr. James Tarwater, Superintendent of Lake Tahoe Unified Schools, will provide an overview of student data at the next LTUSD School Board meeting on Tuesday, February 9.

There are more students in the district, growing from 3,881 students at the end of the 2014-15 school year to 3,996 at the beginning of the current school year. Many of the added students are in grades kindergarten through fifth grade, where there is now over 300 students in each grade compared to 274 students average for grades 6-12. Many employers, including Barton Health and the City of South Lake Tahoe, say what is now offered in the remodeled/revamped South Tahoe High is a big draw for new hires with children.

Dr. Tarwater's presentation will include the fact that there are now 290 students in the school district considered homeless by the state's standards. They include students living in homes of friends or relatives, couch surfing, staying in motels, parks, cars and some types of trailers. Last year there were 246 students in this classification.

The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act guarantees all students have access to the same, free education as all other students. The current data show that Lake Tahoe Unified School District now has 44 more students that qualify for this program, something that led the school district to make their McKenny-Vento coordinator position into a full time one. Amanda Hammond connects the students to services and supplies, including warm clothing, needed to be successful.

Bread & Broth has expanded to provide weekend supplies of food to 125 students in the district. Even though there are fewer students on the program this year (from 60 percent of the school population to 54.67 percent), 2,163 students still qualify. The Bread & Broth 4 Kids program hits a small population, but hopes to grow through donations and grants to target a larger percentage of students.

LTUSD receives money based on a new Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) which targets certain disadvantaged student populations. Targeted students are those classified as English learners, eligible to receive a free or reduced-price meal, foster youth, or any combination of these factors. State and federal government budget allocation use the annual data Dr. Tarwater will present when giving money to the district.

The School Board meeting is at 6:00 p.m. at the District Office 1021 Al Tahoe Blvd. in South Lake Tahoe.