Re: Follow-Up on Board Discussion and TIDE Academy Staff Meeting - November 13

Hello Dr. Leach,

Thank you for your email, and I'm looking forward to being able to talk through some of these questions we have as a staff later today. I feel like this is a huge faux pas emailing you, so I have some trepidation doing so. I was, however, recently called the 'pragmatic one' in front of you at the Board meeting where our English department was given recognition for our work with students at TIDE, so at least I'm able to prove the point now.

I am wondering if the Board members who are running this proposal were planning to attend today's meeting? I feel as though, again as a pragmatist, having them present would be a benefit to the conversation, while them not being there would be more of a hindrance. I've come to that conclusion as I help compile some questions that students and staff have for later this afternoon.

I'm not going to be able to vocalize this easily later, so I also wanted to stress how impactful this small school has been to me. I was so close to exiting the profession entirely, but coming to TIDE and being surrounded by such incredible staff members and students reinvigorated me. I can honestly say that I am pushed to the edge of my zone of proximal development daily here, and the students benefit; knowing that TIDE will likely close hurts more as I know we're on the cutting edge of education here. We are able to achieve the things that we do because we are small and like-minded, with every staff member being open to adapting, changing, and evolving for the sake of our student body. It's my hope that, instead of TIDE being lost to the ether, the District can use our community as an impetus for development across all our schools.

Thank you for hearing me out regarding the Board members attending today's meeting. Again, I hope this email isn't too much of a faux pas; my intentions are good--promise!

Best,

Nick McKeon

On Wed, Nov 12, 2025 at 8:10 PM Crystal Leach <cleach@seq.org> wrote:

Dear TIDE Academy Staff,

I am writing to follow up on this evening's Board meeting and to invite you to a staff meeting tomorrow so that you can hear directly from me and ask questions...

TIDE Academy Staff Meeting with the Superintendent
Date: Thursday, November 13
Time: 4:00-5:00 p.m.

Or

Date: Tuesday, November 18
Time: 2:45-3:45 p.m.

Location: TIDE Academy Cafeteria

Sincerely,

Crystal