Mount Tallac High coping with physical disrepair
By Kathryn Reed
Reusing portables isn’t possible.
That’s the message the state Department of Education has delivered to Lake Tahoe Unified School District officials. This is because the overcrowded relief grant money is designed to rid campuses of portables, not move them around to be used in a different manner.
South Tahoe High and South Tahoe Middle schools each received these types of grants, that with matching money from the voter approved Measure G bond brings new buildings to the schools. For STHS it’s the completed Stadium View Building. Construction at STMS will begin this summer.
Neglected portable sitting in Mount Tallac's parking lot must be removed. Photos/Kathryn Reed
The news, that has yet to be widely disseminated among school officials, will come as a blow to Mount Tallac High staff and students.
Just last Thursday the belief was the portable sitting in the parking lot of the continuation school still might become an extension of the school for outside agencies like Tahoe Youth & Family Services, probation and others to meet with students.
Susan Baker, who runs Mount Tallac, told Lake Tahoe News on Feb. 3, “It definitely feels like we’re being neglected when we’re told time and time again these things are going to be taken care of and they aren’t. For me, we could do so much for kids if these things were in place.”
“These things” being the dilapidated portable that has been sitting in the parking lot since August. She said Principal Ivone Larson, school facilities Director Steve Morales and Superintendent Jim Tarwater told her that portable would be converted into a usable facility.
Instead, it has sat all winter becoming a moldy, smelly mess. A leaky roof was repaired long after the problem was reported. Stepping in the dank building one does not want to linger.
It’s possible even if the state didn’t tell the district it can’t keep these portables on campus (Tallac and STHS are considered one campus), the portable in the parking lot would no longer pass muster because of mold issues.
Morales said converting that particular portable into a usable facility was talked about, but was never guaranteed. “They weren’t interested in hearing that it might not happen,” Morales told Lake Tahoe News on Feb. 7.
He said the district is going to look into whether portables from other campuses that did not receive the overcrowding grant could be moved to Mount Tallac in the future, which could be as early as this summer. But it would still have to go through the permitting process.
What will happen to these portables remains an unknown. A couple have been given to Lake Valley Fire Department in exchange for defensible space work.
While STHS reaps the bulk of the benefits of the $65 million bond that with matches from state grants is closer to $100 million, Mount Tallac will not receive a dime. That’s how the bond measure was written.
Instead, teachers this year have listened to the ping of water dripping inside a classroom before the roof was finally repaired.
The boys' bathroom at Mount Tallac.
Students must use bathrooms that make some port-a-potties look more appealing.
Larson and Morales said they have not seen the bathrooms in question.
The irony is board meeting after board meeting the elected officials and administrators tout the importance of facilities, how creating a learning environment that is vibrant allows students to learn better.
“I think a lot of times there is a misnomer out there these kids don’t care about education as much a AP students,” Baker said.
She said all she wants is a clean, safe environment.
“Everything is triage and Band-Aids,” Baker said.
Harry Segal, a volunteer at Mount Tallac, questioned whether the neglect that is happening at Mount Tallac would be allowed to happen at the district office or the environmental school.
No doubt they’ll come knocking on the taxpayers’ doors for more money AGAIN, when they really need to look into their own priority list and see where they spend and where they don’t. Poor choices, LTUSD. You always want more money “for the children.” We keep giving it to you. The children don’t get it. What the heck do you do with it?
Maybe that new council woman with ties to the school would like to answer, dogwoman. Angela, isn’t it? She had alot to do with measure G, I heard.
Who but taxpayers ever pay for public education? Public schools are an American tradition, but so many people have lost touch with it. They think, “why should I pay to educate someone else’s kids.”
Public education is the foundation of our great country. Someone else paid for your education. As adults, it is our responsibility to pay to educate the next generation.
Isn’t this just great! Taxpayers pay for shiny new buildings, but the School District can’t take care of existing buildings!
FYI, we do pay to educate the next generation! It’s just truly annoying how when the District comes to the taxpayer for ever more dollars, it’s never enough!
The facts are that Mt. Tallac High School was constructed in 2000 at a cost of approximately $3 million from the proceeds of the 1999 Bond Measure C and is in good condition.
The photo of the abandoned portable in this article is not part of the Mt. Tallac campus. It is an old portable that was never represented to be in any condition for occupancy.
No occupied classroom roofs were/are leaking and the facility is in good repair.
The portable restrooms are older and were relocated from South Tahoe Middle School. Upon being notified of an issue with the bathroom yesterday, it was inspected and appears functional, odorless and is well lighted. The vinyl flooring has indeed reached the end of its lifespan and will need to be replaced in the near future (possibly this summer) as there are several cracks and open areas in various locations. There is one ceiling tile missing in one corner and the sheetrock under the urinals needs replacing. These three items, coupled with a fresh coat of paint to unify the wall covering would help make a more presentable bathroom.
Get rid of it, at the lowest cost possible, list it on eBay or Craigslist, try to get someone to pay something for it. Convert a room in the school for meeting space for outside agencies.
“The Homeless would love it!”
God-bless you…
I am proud to be associated with the dedicated staff and wonderful students at Mt. Tallac High School. As a school volunteer, I have witnessed both the support and lack of support of the school from the school district. Just this past year, the district made sure Mt. Tallac continued to have a full time math teacher, counselor and a school bus to help students get home after school. All are appreciative of these efforts that benefit both students and staff daily. However, unfortunately, more attention and action is currently required to address other issues at the school.
As stated and documented previously, through print and pictures, the bathrooms located on Mt. Tallac site are an abomination. The district was aware of the condition of the bathrooms prior to yesterday. The bathrooms should be repaired immediately. No child should have to use a facility is such disrepair. I certainly hope no other school has bathrooms in similar conditions. If you have any question concerning the validity of the decrepit conditions, I invite you to visit the site and inspect the facilities first hand. I guarantee that you will be appalled.
I agree with the assessment the portable is not in any condition for occupancy. However, I strongly disagree how the school district handled the situation. The school was told a portable would be available when the school year started in September. LTUSD superintendent, nor the school board ever suggested otherwise. To my knowledge, during Mt Tallac’s open house in October of last year, Dr. Tarwater inspected the inside of the portable . At that time and after, there was no discussion or inference that the stated plans were changed and the portable was not going to be fixed.
The portable was repositioned in the Mt. Tallac parking lot next to the school; work was done underneath and a skirt placed around the portable; work was also done on the roof. If the district had no intention of allowing the usage of the portable, why was money and time spent doing these repairs in the first place? These actions, of course, led the staff and students to believe that work would continue to move forward and the project would be complete. As a result of these actions taken by LTUSD, hopefully, the community will understand how the school staff thought the project was moving forward.
Unfortunately, because repairs to the roof of the portable were not done in a timely manner, the portable is now useless. Someone is accountable for this situation. Money and time have been wasted. Promises were made and promises were broken. However, the saddest part is that the Mt. Tallac students continue to be treated as second class citizens. That is not fair!
Mr. Morales says, “They weren’t interested in hearing it might not happen.” First of all, who is he referring to when he says “they?” Is he talking about the hard-working, dedicated staff and teachers, who have a positive impact on the students every day? Second, the staff and and teachers are adults and fully capable of handling a situation when told the truth!
I encourage all interested community members to visit Mt. Tallac High School. You will have a chance to meet a group of wonderful educators and receive a student led tour of the school. These children are proud of their school. They deserve the support of the entire community and especially the school district.
Thank you Harry
Love it 78,
done in a timely manner!!
That’s a ditto…”There’s your budget Buster.”
Wolf in sheep skins eats another Supervisor…
It’s Good to be at the Top,all seas,accept all rivers, Regardless.
There’s too much red tape here, there’s many qualified people here that can redo a restroom,fix roof repairs,sheet rock,paint,lay tiles, without a Big over blown meeting,Large debt.
Get real.Get WITH-in The budget, cut out all the middle men.
Buy facet at Nels HAREWARE for 27.00 bucks ,time it clears all the BS, IT 127.00…CUT THE PUBLIC SOME SLACK, HIRE SOME REAL MAINTANCE PERSONAL THAT WANT WORK.
YOU’LL never convince anybody ,that a union worker knows how skin 40 hour work weeks into two months of loitering at the school, PUBLIC PROJECTS.
locals need things for idle hands,give them a chance first.
You’ll save money in the end, put some bread,Butter,on our own self made economic recovery.
The people in this town totally deserve that chance.
We need a new bumper sticker here in town: “WHY KEEP US IN THE BLUE,HIRE LOCALS FIRST”.
Great post, Harry. I agree, Mt. Tallac is full of hardworking teachers and staff that catch the kids as they fall through the giant cracks up the hill. Without a transitional school, these students would not have a chance of success. They deserve at least a bathroom in good repair. Sounds like the big butter knife needed to be used to spread some of the Measure G monies down the hill.