SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Despite facing several hurdles and setbacks, Lake Tahoe Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Todd Cutler expressed optimism for the future during the State of the District address on Wednesday, March 20. 

Cutler spoke to a packed room at South Tahoe High School, filled with teachers, principals, district staff, community leaders, parents, and even some students. 

“We really believe strongly, we’re in a good place,” said Dr. Cutler. 

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While Cutler had an assured tone, he and other members of the district had to address some elephants in the room. 

Board Clerk Lauri Kemper mentioned the declining enrollment the district has faced, and a dip in the budget the district will have to overcome. 

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“Last week was a painful one,” Kemper said, referring to the 10 staff members the district had to lay off. The Tribune will be following up with an article about the layoffs. 

Interim Chief Business Officer Kelly Buttery provided some additional context on the budget cuts. 

“The 2023-24 budget is stable, next year is where things take a little dip,” Buttery said.

The COVID-19 funding the district was receiving will dry up next year. In addition, the district has seen a decline in enrollment, which means less funding from the state. In 2020, about 3,900 students were enrolled, compared to this year which had a nearly 300 student decrease. 

Finally, the state is projecting a huge change in the cost of living adjustments. However, those numbers won’t be finalized until May, so the district doesn’t know exactly the impact that will have. 

Buttery did highlight a bright spot in the budget, there was an increase in the arts, music, and instructional materials block grant.

Cutler also spoke about new goals and priorities the board set for the district in January.

The district highlighted three areas of focus. 

1. Literacy – Literacy is the multifaceted ability to comprehend, interpret, and communicate information across various forms and contexts. It goes beyond traditional reading and writing skills and includes the capacity to critically engage with diverse types of information, technology, and media.
2. Innovation (future read) – Innovation involves prioritizing and fostering a culture of creativity and adaptability. It’s more than introducing new technologies; it encompasses a mindset and approach that encourages all to explore and implement innovative ideas, methods, and practices.
3. The Whole Child Approach – The whole child approach gives children the foundation they need to become well-rounded, happy, and healthy individuals. [The district] will provide a safe, personally relevant, engaging, and challenging education to help students reach their potential.

Several presenters then talked about the Local Control Accountability Plan, which is a three-year district improvement plan that was put together by district staff, members of the LCAP parent advisory committee, and members of the South Tahoe Education Association. 

Goal one is to increase all student achievement, targeting English learners, students with disabilities, low-income students, foster youth, and students experiencing homelessness.

Goal two is to provide quality first instruction and curriculum to all students, supported through ongoing targeted professional learning, collaboration, and support for all staff.

The third and final goal is to engage students, families, staff, and stakeholders in building and sustaining an inclusive, connected, and proactive school community fostering a positive climate and culture.

Following discussion of the LCAP, attendees broke into groups to discuss two topics; to discuss what increases or interrupts student achievement and what helps or disrupts building an inclusive culture. 

Finally, the night ended with a panel discussion. The panelists included Brian Whitmore (Studio W Architects), Robert Haen (Haen Constructors), Gina La Bier (Meteor Education), Dave Zebo (LTUSD), and Anush Nejad (City of South Lake Tahoe).

Zebo, who is the district’s Director of Facilities, started the discussion by talking about work that needs to be completed on school facilities. He mentioned the damage buildings took during the 2022-23 storms, including structural damage at Meyers Elementary School and several South Tahoe High School classrooms. He also mentioned perimeter fencing and gutters that needed to be replaced. 

“That single winter cost us over $500,000 in repairs,” Zebo said.

Haen added saying it’s cheaper to build buildings to the highest standards than to fix them after complete failure.

Whitmore then discussed the conditional assessment completed in 2022. 

“We live in a tough environment in terms of the conditions the buildings have to withstand,” Whitmore said.

He focuses on health and safety, not just when it comes to the conditions of the buildings but the safety of the campus as a whole, like the ability for someone to come into the campus undetected or the potential for car versus pedestrian collisions. 

Along those lines, Nejad spoke about the city’s effort to make schools safer by fixing infrastructure leading to the schools, such as signal timings, streets, and sidewalks to access the schools and improvements and upgrades for accessibility. He also mentioned improving coordination with the school district on snow removal. 

La Bier weighed in on furniture inside the classrooms. She’s working with a group of teachers who are piloting new desks and chairs that allow students to move around more easily, allow teachers to rearrange the classrooms more easily, and allow for more comfort for the students, which in turn should increase the ability to focus and learn. 

Cutler completed the night by inviting attendees back on April 18 in the District Office Boardroom to discuss the 2024 Draft Facilities Master Plan.