lake tahoe unified school

On Wednesday, the El Dorado County Elections Department released more results from the November 8 election. There are still approximately 200-300 ballots remaining to count from County Supervisor District 5 which is from Pollock Pines to South Lake Tahoe and Tahoma.

"We'd like to not wait until the December 6 deadline, but there are quite a few provisional ballots left to count," said Justin Canning of El Dorado County.

All ballots must be certified 28 days after the election, hence their December 6 deadline.

November 17, 2:30 p.m. update: There are about 500 provisional ballots from the South Lake Tahoe and Meyers areas that need to be counted, along with a few mail-in ballots.

According to Linda Webster, Assistant Registrar of Voters for the County, there are a few mail-in ballots still to be counted county-wide. She expects there will be an update to the returns before Thanksgiving with a final release of figures right after the holiday. It will be that final report that will include the provisional ballot count.

The community is invited to an Open House at the new Teen Resource Room at South Tahoe High on Wednesday, November 16 from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in room C-1 at the school which is located at 1735 Lake Tahoe Blvd in South Lake Tahoe.

Students use the room to get needed clothing including hats and coats, school supplies and food, as well as bicycles. Counseling services are also offered in the room.

6:00 a.m. 11/9 Update: It took awhile for ballots to be counted, but 100 percent of the precincts have now been counted for El Dorado County and South Lake Tahoe. The results are unofficial as some mail-in ballots will still be tallied.

Former councilwoman Brooke Laine and hospital executive Jason Collin will be headed to the South Lake Tahoe City Council in what turned out to be a close race with local politics newcomer, Tamara Wallace. Current Councilwoman JoAnn Conner will not be returning for a second term.

SLT City Council results, the top two vote-getters win:

Many are ready for this election to be over the national level with the negativity surrounding the campaigns. On a local level there are several choices before voters.

If you have not already submitted your ballots, find your polling place here:

California
Nevada

If you live in the South Lake Tahoe City limits, you are able to vote for two of ten candidates for City Council (in alphabetical order):

Brooke Laine
Dan McLaughlin
Jason Collin
JoAnn Conner

To the South Lake Tahoe Community,
Thank you for considering me for Lake Tahoe Unified School District Board member. With your support, I will serve the residents of Trustee Area #1. My husband Matt Lucksinger, a South Tahoe native, and I decided to move to the LTUSD in 2014, excited to have our daughters enter school and to be able to participate in this community. School Board service is an extension of that decision.

Having served under many different school boards in my forty-two years of teaching in the Lake Tahoe Unified School District, I know the importance of a dedicated, well-informed group of individuals who work cooperatively for the betterment of all the students and employees of the district.

I support Larry Reilly because he is dedicated to education as evidenced by his thirty-nine years as an outstanding teacher. He is well-informed as to the changing laws and regulations governing education. His years as an athletic coach attest to the fact that he knows the importance of team work.

I am a resident and registered voter in Nevada, but I work in Meyers, attended Meyers Elementary, grew up in Christmas Valley, and graduated from South Tahoe High School (STHS). The state line is a blur to me because I view the South Shore as one community. I have two children currently in high school, one at Whittell and one at STHS; I also have another child who graduated from Whittell and is now a college freshman. I believe that a good public education system is the great equalizer in America, and that every child has a right to the best education possible.

Stump speeches and meeting candidates via a speed-dating format will give voters in the South Lake Tahoe area a way to get to know their future elected officials on October 25 at the Lake Tahoe Community College from 5:30 p.m. to 7::45 p.m.

The evening will start out with each candidate for South Lake Tahoe City Council as well as the Lake Tahoe Unified School District, Lake Tahoe Community College and South Tahoe Public Utility District boards, giving a 1.5 minute "stump speech." Then they'll move to pre-assigned tables where they will meet voters in an up close and personal way.

This letter is for anyone interested in seeing students in Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) get the best opportunities possible.

There will be an informal gathering on Wednesday, September 28 at the Blue Angel Cafe to meet a couple of candidates running for Area 4 school district boards.

Dave Hamilton, who is running for Lake Tahoe Community College Board, and Troy Matthews, who is running for Lake Tahoe Unified School District Board, will be at the restaurant, which is located at 1132 Ski Run Blvd., from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Come meet them, ask any questions you might have, and talk about the future of South Lake Tahoe schools.

Location

As of Tuesday's Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) Board meeting, no applications for the open seat on the board had been completed and filed, though two are expected according to Shannon Chandler, Dr. Jim Tarwater's Executive Assistant.

The seat opened up when Ginger Nicolay-Davis, the Board Member from Trustee Area 2, had to leave the board when she was hired by LTUSD as a speech pathologist.

The doors opened at all seven schools in the Lake Tahoe Unified School District Monday, welcoming students back after their summer vacations.

At Tahoe Valley Elementary, not only were the doors opened, but the red carpet was rolled out, literally. Staff and members of the California Highway Patrol greeted students as they entered the school with fanfare and balloon in celebration of their return.

Not only did the students enjoy the processional, but parents, staff and officers did as well.

Monday is the first day of school, and most parents will get several forms to fill out for each of their students, but there is one form that many may skip over if they think their children won't utilize it.

Not only does the National School Lunch Program Form give qualifying students free or reduced cost lunches and breakfasts, but it can also mean a few million dollars for the Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) annually.

School starts on the California side of the South Shore on Monday, August 29, are you ready?

Here is a list of the local school start and end times:

STHS starts at 7:55 a.m. and ends at 2:40 p.m.
STMS starts at 7:45 a.m. and ends at 1:55 p.m.
Bijou starts at 8:35 a.m. and ends at 2:45 p.m
Sierra House starts at 9:10 a.m. and ends at 3:20 p.m.
Tahoe Valley K - 5 starts at 9:10 a.m. and ends at 3:20 p.m. TK runs from 9:10 a.m. to 1:15 p.m.
Lake Tahoe Environmental Magnet School starts at 9:15 a.m. and ends at 3:25 p.m.

For reasons unknown, Lake Tahoe Unified School District Trustee Ginger Nicolay-Davis has resigned from the board position she has held since December, 2014.

During their monthly meeting on Tuesday, August 23, the LTUSD board will officially announce the opening on the board and their intent to appoint a new trustee who must reside in Trustee Area #2.

Nicolay-Davis resigned effective August 9.

Dr. Annie Davidson filed Thursday to run for school board member of the Lake Tahoe Unified School District serving Trustee Area 1.

The City of South Lake Tahoe, Lake Tahoe Unified School District, Lake Tahoe Community College and South Tahoe Public Utility District have all released advertisements, press releases and emails to the public, looking for candidates for their open seats this election season.

There will be two open seats for City Council, three seats for LTUSD School Board of Trustees, two for LTCC Board of Trustees, and two for the STPUD Board of Directors. All will be voted on during the next election, November 8, 2016.

Sarah Smith, Student Representative to the Lake Tahoe Unified School Board of Education, was recognized during their meeting Tuesday night.

The South Tahoe High Junior spent the year attending the board meetings twice a month, sharing the activities happening at the school.

Ryann and Morgan Canfield were recognized during Tuesday's Lake Tahoe Unified School District Board meeting for their commitment to achieving perfect attendance as students.

Ryann, and eighth grader at South Tahoe Middle School, has missed just one day of school in her life, and that was one day in kindergarten so she has eight consecutive years of perfect attendance. Her sister, Morgan, a fifth grader at Tahoe Valley Elementary has had perfect attendance throughout her six-year (to-date) school career, including a year of transitional kindergarten.

"Nerves of steel, patience of a saint," is how Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) Transportation Supervisor Christy Blach described the bus drivers entrusted with carrying the community's children around in the big yellow school buses.

On Tuesday evening, LTUSD honored driver Coral Lathrop with their Bus Driver of the Year award. Lathrop has been driving full time since 2014, and is a favorite amount parents, kids and fellow drivers.

Not only do people around South Lake Tahoe get the opportunity to watch international stars of men's cycling on Thursday, they also get to watch the women as the Amgen Tour of California features both races.

There will be a Lifestyle Festival in the parking lot at Heavenly California Base Lodge from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. This is the starting and ending point for the women's race, as well as the finish for the men, so a great viewing spot, but there are other opportunities to watch the cyclists as they zip by all through town.

The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) didn't give South Tahoe High the results the school was expecting after the recent visit by the group's visiting accreditation committee, so they have begun the appeal process.

After the committee left South Tahoe High, they told Principal Chad Houck they were impressed with what they saw, so a recommendation for the school to be placed on a two-year probationary accreditation caught Houck and other school district leaders by surprise and was contrary to what they led him to believe while they were in South Lake Tahoe.

A community group effort led by the Women of the Moose (WOTM) Chapter 408 in South Lake Tahoe is helping the homeless youth of the community

WOTM help out with the kids who are part of the Lake Tahoe Unified School District's McKinney Vento program. LTUSD receives an annual allocation of about $1,000 to purchase school supplies and help with bus transportation for its approximately 250 homeless students.