At the end of the Nov. 13 board meeting, District Trustees Mary Beth Thompson and Richard Gin introduced the possibility of closing TIDE Academy in February after looking at the District’s financial records. This year, the District is facing 10 legal conflicts, while also receiving less money in property taxes than projected. The District’s financial situation may prompt cutting expenses, namely closing TIDE.
Some of the possible motives for closing TIDE are highlighted in the 2023-24 School Accountability Report (SARC), an annual report that covers all seven district high schools.
TIDE intentionally has lower enrollment than other District schools, with 208 students in the 2023-24 school year compared to the 2,152 students enrolled at M-A that same year.
TIDE’s average teacher salary, $99,366, is below the District average of $110,123, and below M-A’s average salary of $113,139. Despite TIDE’s lower teacher salary, the amount of money spent per student is significantly higher than the amount spent per student at M-A and district-wide. Despite its smaller student body, TIDE spent $27,591 per student in the 2023-24 school year, compared to M-A’s $18,698 per student, almost a $9,000 difference. The average amount spent per student district-wide is $19,401.
TIDE’s smaller class size and higher spending per student can be accounted for by the school’s small student to teacher ratio at 9:1, which is much lower than M-A’s at 17:1.
TIDE also has a much larger percentage of students with disabilities, with 20.2% of their student body having disabilities, compared to M-A’s 14.40%. This difference could be partly responsible for TIDE’s substantial spending per student, as students with disabilities typically require more resources than the average student.
Every school in the District requires certain administrative members to operate, meaning that even though TIDE only has 208 students, the school must have its own principal. With principal salaries being significantly higher than teacher salaries, this comes at an even greater cost to the District.
TIDE is one of the most expensive schools in the District, based on the money spent per student. Its small population can put into question its cost-effectiveness. The Board plans to revisit the discussion of TIDE’s closure at the Dec. 10 board meeting and make a final vote by February.
