When voters overwhelmingly approved the 2013 construction bond measure to build a new Tahoma High School and perform upgrades at Lake Wilderness Elementary and other schools, they also set in motion a complete review of the school system. When the new high school opens in two years, all Tahoma programs will have been evaluated and adjusted as the entire district shifts grade alignments, students and staff in the biggest change in its history. Over the next two years, the school district will be repurposing half of its facilities.
In reviewing some of those proposed changes during its September planning retreat, the Tahoma School Board revisited Russell Ridge Center. Russell Ridge is a parent-partner school program of 99 students, housed in five portable classroom buildings on the campus of Cedar River Middle School. The schedule and curriculum are unique, designed as an alternative learning experience for students whose parents believe traditional school will not work for their kids.
Russell Ridge was already under scrutiny by the school board because of its low test scores, limited curriculum and hours – which, by design, have students attend classes part-time with additional work done on their own. Current and past data shows significant achievement gaps for Russell Ridge students. In other words, Russell Ridge students lag behind their peers across the school district.
The board set improvement benchmarks for Russell Ridge in 2013. The school board revisited those targets for Russell Ridge in September and reiterated that it must continue to be cost neutral by keeping enrollment at or above a certain level. Enrollment figures fell slightly below the required number of students budgeted to remain cost neutral every month, September through March, which triggered a closure announcement to Russell Ridge families and staff.
Since then, Russell Ridge parents have fought hard to keep the school operating. Their objections and concerns prompted the school board to start a formal review process and hold two public hearings. An analysis is available on the Tahoma web page. The board will make a final decision on June 30.
We want the community to know that while we believe Russell Ridge has met the needs of its families in many ways we do not think it is structured to provide the kind of academic success for students that exists in other Tahoma schools. The choice facing the school board is clear: close Russell Ridge Center or make significant changes that provide students with an improved academic experience while still providing for social and emotional needs.
The school board has already asked district staff for alternatives to closing Russell Ridge Center. It will continue to evaluate the information it has heard and seen at two public hearings before announcing a decision on June 30. The talk surrounding this issue has been productive but, in some cases, has drifted toward personal attacks. We ask the community to allow the school board to do its job, consider the facts presented and make a decision in its usual open, transparent fashion. The board’s position, as always, will be guided by determining what is in the best interest of Tahoma School District students and taxpayers.
