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Extracted from Consolidated Report

This investigation was originally published as part of a larger consolidated report containing multiple investigations. View the consolidated PDF for the complete document.

Nevada County Grand Jury • 1998-1999

Tahoe Forest Hospital District Reason for the Investigation*

2 pages

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⚠️ Translation Notice: This content has been automatically translated. The original English text is the official version. Translation may contain errors.

⚠️ Este contenido ha sido traducido automáticamente. El texto original en inglés es la versión oficial. La traducción puede contener errores.

Findings 14 findings

The district was formed by a vote of the citizens within the proposed district in 1949. The district receives tax revenues from property that is within the district boundaries.

The district boundaries are entirely within California. The boundaries have been expanded by ballot votes five times since the original formation. The district has five directors elected from within the district boundaries.

The area served by Tahoe Forest Hospital extends beyond the district boundaries. This service area includes Nevada County, Sierra County, the eastern portion of Placer County and the Incline Village area of the State of Nevada.

Operating under Nevada state law, the Incline Village Health Center provides health services for the area in and around Incline Village. The center was purchased by the district from a private organization on March 1, 1996. There is a five-year plan in effect to establish the center's optimal use before the board and management make a decision to invest further. Approximately 65% of the patients who first receive treatment at the Incline Village Health Center continue any necessary i. additional treatment at Tahoe Forest Hospital.

Tahoe Forest Hospital has 35 acute-care beds and 37 long-term beds. The facility is located in a resort area where sports injuries are common. Consequently, much of its revenue is generated in the Emergency Department. As is customary in hospitals, physicians in private practice are extended the privilege, at the hospital's discretion, of admitting their patients to the hospital for care. These doctors comprise the hospital medical staff.

The hospital district has an annual operating budget of approximately $36.8 million for fiscal year ending June 30, 1998, based on information provided to the Grand Jury. The district earned $37.4 million from all sources. The hospital district uses a "cost distribution system" that identifies cost and earnings separately for each of the Truckee and Incline Village facilities. The district has a staff of 400 employees in full and part time positions. The full time equivalent number of employees is approximately 300.

In an effort to attract employees, the hospital operates a child-care facility for ages four months through middle school. This day-care facility is available to the community as well as the staff.

A video demonstrating the value of exercise for seniors has been produced by a group that included a hospital employee who was acting as an independent agent. The video, which displays the hospital's logo, is being marketed by the video's producers. There is a royalty agreement between the marketer and the hospital which at this time has created no revenue for the hospital. The hospital administrator stated that Tahoe Forest Hospital incurred no costs in the production of the video. CONCLUSIONS

Each school visited has administration, teachers and classified staff assigned to the program. Student population reported hereafter reflects the numbers for the day visited by the Grand Jury.

F10

Drug and alcohol related incidents reported in the NJUHSD have more than doubled from 32 reports in the 1996-97 school year to 68 in 1997-98.

F11

There is no formal tracking of students' academic histories as they move through the school system.

F12

Scholastic Aptitude Tests (SAT) scores reported to the state and published in the local newspaper do not include the schools studied in this report.

F13

Following is a chart detailing information on each school visited. 44

F14

On April 20, 1999, the NJUHSD Board approved reorganization of most existing alternative education schools and established the Nevada Union Humanities Academy, Ninth Grade Opportunity Program, and Fast Track. Freshman Accelerated Skills Training on the existing traditional high school campuses. It also approved formation and establishment of Wolf Creek High School, a Home Based Alternative School using Independent Study. The foregoing programs are to become effective with the 1999-2000 school year. CONCLUSIONS

Recommendations 15

R1

Nevada Joint Union High School District's (NJUHSD) Mission Statement is "to provide educational opportunities in a variety of settings for ALL students that will allow them the chance to reach their full potential and prepare them for work and higher learning with the skills needed to succeed."
R2

Alternative education provides programs to those students whose needs are not met by the larger traditional high schools. NJUHSD operates one alternative, five continuation and two community schools with a total of 642 students. Another 200 students attend the independent study program. The total high school population of all high schools in January 1999 was 4,652. This number includes Nevada Union and Bear River high schools, but does not include adult education.
R3

A director of alternative education position was created and filled in January 1999 to oversee all of NJUHSD's alternative, continuing, community, and adult education programs. Further changes are being made as this report is written.
R4

An alternative school is defined by Education Code Section 58500 as a school open to all students districtwide that will maximize the opportunity for improvement of the general school curriculum by innovative methods and ideas. Funding is higher per pupil at $4,490.74 compared to traditional high school funding at $4,100.54 per student per year. The alternative high school in Nevada County is Sierra Mountain. 43
R5

A continuation school is defined by Education Code Section 48430 as a school designed to meet the educational needs of each pupil including work study, regional occupation programs, career counseling and job placement services. Funding is at $4,490.74 per student per year. There are five continuation schools in Nevada County: Silver Springs, Pioneer, Nevada Union Tech, Sierra Central, and Empire.
R6

A community school is defined by Education Code Section 48660 as a school for pupils who have been expelled, are on probation, or have been referred by a school attendance review board. The goal is to return these students to their home school. Funding is higher: Earle Jamieson and Sugar Loaf Mountain School (Juvenile Hall) funding is $6,499.15 per student.
R7

Juvenile court schools are mandated by Education Code Section 48645 to provide 240 minutes per day of classroom instruction by certified teachers. Juvenile Hall meets this requirement by providing 180 minutes of classroom instruction plus 60 minutes of physical education. The 1995-96 Grand Jury recommended longer hours for the youth at the Juvenile Hall. This recommendation was not followed.
R8

The county superintendent of schools operates one community day school for students in grades 6, 7, 8 called the 3 R's School (3 R's = Rehabilitate, Renew, Reinstate).
R9

Each school visited has administration, teachers and classified staff assigned to the program. Student population reported hereafter reflects the numbers for the day visited by the Grand Jury.
R10

Drug and alcohol related incidents reported in the NJUHSD have more than doubled from 32 reports in the 1996-97 school year to 68 in 1997-98.
R11

There is no formal tracking of students' academic histories as they move through the school system.
R12

Scholastic Aptitude Tests (SAT) scores reported to the state and published in the local newspaper do not include the schools studied in this report.
R13

Following is a chart detailing information on each school visited. ALTERNATIVE CONTINUATION COMMUNITY Sierra Mountain 3 R’S Silver Springs Located at 12338 Located at 112 Nevada City Located at 140 Park Ave., . Hwy., Nevada City for Grass Valley for grades McCourtney Rd., Grass grades 6-8. 9-12. Valley for grades 9-12. 156 students and 7 2/5 15 students, 1 full-time 250 students, 15 full-time . teacher with 1 instructional teachers. Graduated 17 in teachers and volunteers. assistant and volunteer tutor. Graduated 22 in June 1998. June 1998. Goal is to return students to All classes necessary for a All classes necessary for a • . high school diploma. their neighborhood school. high school diploma. Curriculum of mini-lessons Schedule of 6 weeks in class Young Parent Program on . • . and 1 week off, 6 weeks site offers infant/toddler on various topics culminating with a project summer session. development center, health and test. Basic Sierra Tech Partnership counseling, transportation • Comprehensive Skills Test and food services, parenting Academy: program on-site taken monthly. Homework education and networking with 50 students from grades nightly. with community agencies. 11-12 in conjunction with 7 Students required to wear manufacturing businesses. Additional grant and state . . uniforms. funds that exceed the ADA Independent Study Program . School day is 6 hours (as of on site for 200 additional monies. Jan.1999) with breakfast and students; 74 graduated in Pioneer lunch provided.
R14

On April 20, 1999, the NJUHSD Board approved reorganization of most existing alternative education schools and established the Nevada Union Humanities Academy, Ninth Grade Opportunity Program, and Fast Track. Freshman Accelerated Skills Training on the existing traditional high school campuses. It also approved formation and establishment of Wolf Creek High School, a Home Based Alternative School using Independent Study. The foregoing programs are to become effective with the 1999-2000 school year. CONCLUSIONS
R11-12

in conjunction with 7 Students required to wear manufacturing businesses. Additional grant and state . . uniforms. funds that exceed the ADA Independent Study Program . School day is 6 hours (as of on site for 200 additional monies. Jan.1999) with breakfast and students; 74 graduated in Pioneer lunch provided. 1998. No transportation provided. Located at Bear River High • School for grades 11-12. Earle Jamieson 36 students, 1 full-time . teacher and 3 part-time Located at 10657 E. Bennett teachers, graduated 6 in June St., Grass Valley, for grades 1998. 9-12. Directed studies: (students 44 students, 2 full-time . • work alone and collect teachers and 2 instructional credits in subjects they aides. need). Life Skills classes for Directed Studies: Students • all. work alone and collect 3 classroom hours per day, credits in subjects they need. . morning or afternoon, and Computer program and Work Experience or weightlifting is offered. No Regional Occupational homework assigned. Program to supplement. School day ends at 1:15 p.m. No vocational program or Nevada Union Tech after-school activities are offered. Located at Nevada Union 40 percent absentee rate. High School for grades 11- 12. Juvenile Hall 30 students, 2 full-time • teachers and 27 graduated in Located at 15076 State • 45

Conclusions 2

CL1 Page 2

The Grand Jury concludes that Tahoe Forest Hospital's management and Board of Directors are prudent in their fiscal operations.
CL2 Page 2

The production of an exercise video was not a part of the hospital district's business and was the result of an employee's off hours business venture. The Grand Jury finds no conflict of interest in the production of the video. The five-year plan to evaluate the optimum usage of the Incline Village Health Center is reasonable before the district places more assets in the center.

* This report's PDF did not contain easily extractable text and required Optical Character Recognition (OCR) for analysis. There may be minor errors in the extracted findings and recommendations due to OCR limitations with scanned documents.