This article received an honorable mention in the Digital Media Breaking News Story category at the JEANC 2026 Annual Contest.
During board comment at a Sequoia Union High School District (SUHSD) board meeting on the evening of Nov. 12, board member Mary Beth Thompson, on behalf of a board committee, asked the superintendent to prepare a report for the Dec. 10 board meeting on a potential closure of the TIDE Academy school.
Thompson and fellow board member Rich Ginn were both a part of this board committee, which reviewed enrollment, program offerings and the long-term fiscal health of the district. According to Thompson, the committee found that TIDE Academy requires a disproportionate amount of resources to operate, in part due to it being a small school.
“Over time, that means students [at TIDE] will have fewer classes, electives and program options that we can offer when resources are better aligned across the district,” Thompson said during the meeting. “So our committee is recommending that the board ask the superintendent to develop and bring forward a clear plan for how the district would discuss and consider a possible closure of TIDE Academy.”
Located in Menlo Park, TIDE Academy is a small public school in the SUHSD that focuses on technology, innovation, design and engineering (TIDE). TIDE Academy opened in August 2019, making the school about 6 years old. The school opened with a freshman class of 106 and a mission of preparing students for STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) careers. The school provides an alternative option for anyone within the SUHSD district lines. Students can apply to join TIDE and enrollment is usually selected by a random drawing.
“I want to be very clear: no one on the board wants to close the school,” Thompson said. “We understand how deeply that possibility affects students, families and staff, and we do not take that impact lightly. At the same time, we [the board] have a duty to look honestly at our overall financial picture, including our structural deficit and the costs of operating very small schools, and ask whether we are creating the best possibilities or opportunities for all of our students, including those currently at TIDE.”
Thompson, on behalf of herself and Ginn, called on Superintendent Crystal Leach and her team to develop a process that includes all legally required steps to consider the potential closure of TIDE Academy. Thompson said the plan should include opportunities for input from students, parents, employees and community members, as well as clearly communicate the potential impacts if TIDE is closed.
“The process should enable the board to make a decision by the end of February about whether to close TIDE at the end of this academic year,” Thompson said.
Ginn asked fellow board members to support him and Thompson in moving forward with the proposed December presentation on the potential closing of TIDE. Remaining board members Sathvik Nori, Amy Koo and Dr. Maria E. Cruz all said they were in support of a discussion on this topic in December.
“As a board, we have a responsibility to make sure that every student in Sequoia Union High School District has access to strong, diverse and sustainable educational programs,” Thompson said.
