Board votes to close TIDE Academy in current form and move program to Woodside with implementation plan

The board of trustees voted to close TIDE Academy in its current form and approved a plan to transfer the academy’s program to Woodside High School, directing staff to return a detailed implementation plan and to survey interest from rising freshmen.

The motion to close the existing TIDE campus carried by voice vote after lengthy public comment and trustee deliberations. The transcript records multiple trustees saying “Aye” in support; the record does not include a named roll-call tally.

Why it matters: speakers across the meeting—students, parents, teachers and community members—said TIDE provides a small‑school environment that supports neurodivergent students, individualized instruction, and strong social supports that many argued cannot be reproduced easily in a larger comprehensive high school. District staff told trustees the recommendation was driven by sustainability concerns: TIDE’s operating costs were presented to the board as roughly $8,000,000 a year and staff said closing or consolidating the program was a way to reduce projected budget pressure without immediate layoffs district‑wide.

Student and community testimony: dozens of members of the TIDE community urged trustees to reject the closure. "I was absolutely in…