Past Meeting Recaps
TIDE Academy Meetings – What We Heard
Update TIDE Academy Meetings – What We Heard ![]()
Over two evenings on November 19 and 20, 2025, Superintendent Crystal Leach met with TIDE Academy families, students, staff, alumni, and community members—first in person at TIDE, then via Zoom—to discuss the Board’s recent direction to review TIDE’s enrollment and long-term sustainability.
The purpose of these meetings was to:
- Recap the Board’s November 12 direction
- Explain what happens next in the district’s review process
- Listen to questions, concerns, and experiences from the TIDE community
No decision has been made about TIDE’s future. These meetings are part of an ongoing, student-centered process to gather input before any recommendation is brought to the Board.
How We Got Here
At the November 12 Board of Trustees meeting, a Board subcommittee on enrollment and facilities reported on district-wide enrollment trends and raised questions about the long-term sustainability of small schools, including TIDE. Based on that report, the full Board directed the Superintendent to bring back a timeline and review process.Key points the Superintendent shared:
- She could not begin a formal review or engage staff and families until the Board gave direction in a public meeting on November 12.
- TIDE is being reviewed because it is a small, relatively new school whose original enrollment projections did not match current district-wide trends.
- The school was originally built based on earlier demographic forecasts showing significant projected growth in the Menlo-Atherton area—growth that did not occur at the anticipated level, especially after widespread post-pandemic enrollment declines across the region.
Many families shared that, even with this explanation, the news felt sudden and disruptive, especially during high school recruitment season.
What We Heard From the TIDE Parent Community
Across both nights, the TIDE community spoke with honesty and heart. Several strong themes emerged:
TIDE Makes a Transformative Difference for Students
Parents, students, and alumni described TIDE as a place where students grow academically, emotionally, and socially:
- Parents shared how their children developed self-advocacy, leadership, empathy, and the ability to collaborate across differences.
- Students said TIDE offered opportunities they would not have had at larger schools—smaller classes, individualized attention, and teachers who know them well.
- Alumni spoke about TIDE as a place where they felt seen and supported, where they learned to engage confidently with real-world issues, and where staff helped them navigate challenges with care.
- One alum explained that transferring to TIDE “literally saved” them due to the individualized support and the small, safe environment.
- Another alum described how dual enrollment opportunities at TIDE allowed them to earn significant college credit and accelerate their college progress.
These stories highlighted TIDE’s role as a school that nurtures belonging, confidence, and opportunity.
Small School Environment and Support for Neurodivergent Students
A major theme was the importance of TIDE’s size and structure for students with:
- IEPs and 504 plans
- Autism spectrum needs
- Anxiety or other mental-health challenges
- A need for smaller, predictable environments
Parents shared testimonials about:
- Larger schools being overwhelming and, in some cases, harmful to their children’s well-being.
- TIDE providing the stability, individualized attention, and safe relationships their children needed to thrive.
- The fear and stress caused by the possibility of having to move students with complex needs into much larger, busier settings.
The Superintendent acknowledged how critical these concerns are and affirmed that students are not numbers—that the human impact of any decision must be at the center of the process.
Concerns About Process, Timing, and Trust
Many participants expressed frustration about how and when they learned of the potential review:
- Families felt the news came “out of nowhere,” with no time to absorb or process it.
- Parents were worried that discussing potential closure during recruitment season could harm TIDE’s ability to meet enrollment targets.
- Staff and parents questioned how expectations for full enrollment could be applied fairly when the school is still relatively new and when COVID significantly disrupted early recruitment years.
- Several spoke about feeling misled or discouraged after investing years—personally and through Measure W—in building TIDE as an innovative, future-focused school.
The Superintendent acknowledged that the timing is unfortunate, especially during application season, and that these concerns will be taken seriously as the process continues.
Enrollment, Finances, and Marketing
Families raised many questions about:
- How per-student costs are calculated at TIDE
- Whether the review is driven by finances, enrollment, or both
- How enrollment targets are determined
- Why district marketing and outreach for TIDE hasn’t been more robust
- Whether a new school with only a few graduating classes has had enough time to establish itself
Several participants said they learned about TIDE only by chance and felt the school has not been promoted as actively as others.
The Superintendent reiterated that:
- Enrollment is the primary factor in the review process.
- More detailed enrollment and financial data will be shared as part of the January meetings.
- Both quantitative data and the qualitative strengths described by the community will shape the recommendation.
Questions About What Happens If TIDE Closes
Families asked about:
- Placement options for students who cannot thrive in large schools
- The district’s ability to support neurodivergent and special-needs students in other settings
- How out-of-district students would be supported
- How transcripts, recommendations, and relationships that matter for college would be handled
- How the district would help families navigate a transition, if any
The Superintendent emphasized that:
- No decision has been made to close TIDE.
- If the Board ultimately moved toward closure, the district would meet individually with each student and family to discuss placement and ensure supports remain in place.
- The district’s only other small public high school is East Palo Alto Academy; families would learn about all available options.
What We Heard From the TIDE Staff Community
At the staff meetings on November 13 and 18, recurring themes and questions included:
Job security and placement
-
- Classified and certificated staff asked what would happen to them if TIDE closes and whether there would be layoffs.
Enrollment & targets
-
-
- Staff questioned the narrative that enrollment is declining, noting that interest in TIDE is currently very high and that the announcement itself could suppress interest.
- Staff expressed frustration that enrollment targets and the stakes attached to them were not clearly communicated in past years.
Finances & per-student cost
-
- Staff questioned the $37,000 per-student cost figure and asked how that compares to larger schools when foundations, facilities, and the number of higher-needs students TIDE serves are taken into account.
“Why TIDE?” and broader context
-
- Staff asked why other small schools were not being considered at the same time, given that TIDE is meeting the goals of the district’s strategic plan.
Process, timing, and transparency
-
- Many described feeling blindsided by the brief Board discussion and the timing during enrollment season, and described the rollout as disrespectful and premature.
- Staff asked whether stakeholder meetings would be meaningful or “performative,” and whether they would truly have a say in the outcome.
Update
TIDE Academy Meetings – What We Heard
Over two evenings on November 19 and 20, 2025, Superintendent Crystal Leach met with TIDE Academy families, students, staff, alumni, and community members—first in person at TIDE, then via Zoom—to discuss the Board’s recent direction to review TIDE’s enrollment and long-term sustainability.
The purpose of these meetings was to:
- Recap the Board’s November 12 direction
- Explain what happens next in the district’s review process
- Listen to questions, concerns, and experiences from the TIDE community
No decision has been made about TIDE’s future. These meetings are part of an ongoing, student-centered process to gather input before any recommendation is brought to the Board.
How We Got Here
At the November 12 Board of Trustees meeting, a Board subcommittee on enrollment and facilities reported on district-wide enrollment trends and raised questions about the long-term sustainability of small schools, including TIDE. Based on that report, the full Board directed the Superintendent to bring back a timeline and review process.Key points the Superintendent shared:
- She could not begin a formal review or engage staff and families until the Board gave direction in a public meeting on November 12.
- TIDE is being reviewed because it is a small, relatively new school whose original enrollment projections did not match current district-wide trends.
- The school was originally built based on earlier demographic forecasts showing significant projected growth in the Menlo-Atherton area—growth that did not occur at the anticipated level, especially after widespread post-pandemic enrollment declines across the region.
Many families shared that, even with this explanation, the news felt sudden and disruptive, especially during high school recruitment season.
What We Heard From the TIDE Parent Community
Across both nights, the TIDE community spoke with honesty and heart. Several strong themes emerged:
TIDE Makes a Transformative Difference for Students
Parents, students, and alumni described TIDE as a place where students grow academically, emotionally, and socially:
- Parents shared how their children developed self-advocacy, leadership, empathy, and the ability to collaborate across differences.
- Students said TIDE offered opportunities they would not have had at larger schools—smaller classes, individualized attention, and teachers who know them well.
- Alumni spoke about TIDE as a place where they felt seen and supported, where they learned to engage confidently with real-world issues, and where staff helped them navigate challenges with care.
- One alum explained that transferring to TIDE “literally saved” them due to the individualized support and the small, safe environment.
- Another alum described how dual enrollment opportunities at TIDE allowed them to earn significant college credit and accelerate their college progress.
These stories highlighted TIDE’s role as a school that nurtures belonging, confidence, and opportunity.
Small School Environment and Support for Neurodivergent Students
A major theme was the importance of TIDE’s size and structure for students with:
- IEPs and 504 plans
- Autism spectrum needs
- Anxiety or other mental-health challenges
- A need for smaller, predictable environments
Parents shared testimonials about:
- Larger schools being overwhelming and, in some cases, harmful to their children’s well-being.
- TIDE providing the stability, individualized attention, and safe relationships their children needed to thrive.
- The fear and stress caused by the possibility of having to move students with complex needs into much larger, busier settings.
The Superintendent acknowledged how critical these concerns are and affirmed that students are not numbers—that the human impact of any decision must be at the center of the process.
Concerns About Process, Timing, and Trust
Many participants expressed frustration about how and when they learned of the potential review:
- Families felt the news came “out of nowhere,” with no time to absorb or process it.
- Parents were worried that discussing potential closure during recruitment season could harm TIDE’s ability to meet enrollment targets.
- Staff and parents questioned how expectations for full enrollment could be applied fairly when the school is still relatively new and when COVID significantly disrupted early recruitment years.
- Several spoke about feeling misled or discouraged after investing years—personally and through Measure W—in building TIDE as an innovative, future-focused school.
The Superintendent acknowledged that the timing is unfortunate, especially during application season, and that these concerns will be taken seriously as the process continues.
Enrollment, Finances, and Marketing
Families raised many questions about:
- How per-student costs are calculated at TIDE
- Whether the review is driven by finances, enrollment, or both
- How enrollment targets are determined
- Why district marketing and outreach for TIDE hasn’t been more robust
- Whether a new school with only a few graduating classes has had enough time to establish itself
Several participants said they learned about TIDE only by chance and felt the school has not been promoted as actively as others.
The Superintendent reiterated that:
- Enrollment is the primary factor in the review process.
- More detailed enrollment and financial data will be shared as part of the January meetings.
- Both quantitative data and the qualitative strengths described by the community will shape the recommendation.
Questions About What Happens If TIDE Closes
Families asked about:
- Placement options for students who cannot thrive in large schools
- The district’s ability to support neurodivergent and special-needs students in other settings
- How out-of-district students would be supported
- How transcripts, recommendations, and relationships that matter for college would be handled
- How the district would help families navigate a transition, if any
The Superintendent emphasized that:
- No decision has been made to close TIDE.
- If the Board ultimately moved toward closure, the district would meet individually with each student and family to discuss placement and ensure supports remain in place.
- The district’s only other small public high school is East Palo Alto Academy; families would learn about all available options.
What We Heard From the TIDE Staff Community
At the staff meetings on November 13 and 18, recurring themes and questions included:
Job security and placement
-
- Classified and certificated staff asked what would happen to them if TIDE closes and whether there would be layoffs.
Enrollment & targets
-
-
- Staff questioned the narrative that enrollment is declining, noting that interest in TIDE is currently very high and that the announcement itself could suppress interest.
- Staff expressed frustration that enrollment targets and the stakes attached to them were not clearly communicated in past years.
-
Finances & per-student cost
-
- Staff questioned the $37,000 per-student cost figure and asked how that compares to larger schools when foundations, facilities, and the number of higher-needs students TIDE serves are taken into account.
- Staff questioned the $37,000 per-student cost figure and asked how that compares to larger schools when foundations, facilities, and the number of higher-needs students TIDE serves are taken into account.
“Why TIDE?” and broader context
-
- Staff asked why other small schools were not being considered at the same time, given that TIDE is meeting the goals of the district’s strategic plan.
- Staff asked why other small schools were not being considered at the same time, given that TIDE is meeting the goals of the district’s strategic plan.
Process, timing, and transparency
-
- Many described feeling blindsided by the brief Board discussion and the timing during enrollment season, and described the rollout as disrespectful and premature.
- Staff asked whether stakeholder meetings would be meaningful or “performative,” and whether they would truly have a say in the outcome.
