In the two and a half years since the Dixie Fire, it has become clear that Indian Valley lacks the number of students required to support two elementary schools and two junior-senior high school programs. Plumas Charter School and Plumas Unified School District have decided to compromise to provide sustainable programs to students and to best serve Indian Valley as the community rebuilds.
The agreement states that beginning in the 2024-2025 school year, for the term of eight years, PUSD will operate the elementary program at the Greenville Elementary School campus and discontinue operating the junior-senior high school program at Greenville High School. Similarly, the charter school will discontinue operating its elementary program and will only operate Indian Valley Academy, its the junior-senior high school, by renting the GHS facility from PUSD.
“This was not an easy decision for PUSD.”
Bill Roderick, PUSD superintendent
The goal of the agreement is to eliminate competition between the schools, highlight each programs’ strengths and get the maximum use out of one of the few remaining buildings in the town of Greenville.
“This was not an easy decision for PUSD, as we honor and appreciate the 100-plus years of tradition of the Greenville Schools. I appreciate the hard work of both PUSD and PCS, as well as their governing boards, who came together to do what is best for educating the students in Indian Valley,” said PUSD Superintendent Bill Roderick.
Indian Valley Academy history
In 2008, educator Sue Weber founded IVA as a private school to support the community in Indian Valley. The school operated independently for two years and then, in 2010, IVA and its 35 sixth, seventh and eighth-grade students joined Plumas Charter School. At the time, PCS had been in operation for 12 years and its Greenville Learning Center site was located in the “big yellow building” downtown. Over the following years, the IVA program expanded to include high school students.

At the time, students in Indian Valley had two programs to choose from. PUSD operated GES and GHS while PCS operated the learning center for elementary and IVA for seventh through twelfth grade. PUSD’s schools offered traditional academic and sports programs, while PCS offered flexibility, personalized learning and different electives. Students and families had public-school choice.
Discussions about closing GHS are not new to the community of Greenville, and in 2011, they were brought up again due to low student enrollment. To combine resources and support all students, IVA rented classrooms and moved onto the GHS campus in partnership with PUSD in the 2012-2013 school year. But after five years of GHS and IVA coexisting on the same campus, the agreement between PUSD and PCS formally ended in 2017.
Going forward, the plan was for IVA to rent out PUSD’s vacant Taylorsville Elementary School campus. When that agreement also fell through, IVA moved into a commercial building in Taylorsville, which the school has rented ever since. Due to the move and smaller space in the new building, IVA lost around 30 students and four staff members. The elementary school learning program, however, continued to gain attendance and was reinvigorated as a feeder program to IVA.
COVID and the Dixie Fire
In 2020, Plumas Charter School’s response to COVID and its ability to continue to offer on-site instruction led to another influx of students at both IVA and the learning center. Student enrollment was strong and both programs were projected to grow. Then, weeks before the start of the 2021 school year, the Dixie Fire burned through Greenville. The learning center site was among the 800 buildings lost in the fire.
The charter elementary students that remained in Indian Valley found a temporary school home at the Mt. Jura Gem and Mineral Society building in Taylorsville. The school worked with the California Office of Emergency Services to secure portable classrooms, which were placed next to the IVA campus in Taylorsville. PCS has since purchased and now owns that building. The number of students that continued with the charter elementary program, though, was significantly lower and student numbers have remained stagnant since then.
This time the new collaboration is strictly a facilities agreement and does not include competing programs.
Taletha Washburn, PCS executive director
PUSD’s buildings in Greenville, both the elementary and high school, were spared from the flames. For safety reasons, including smoke damage, students weren’t allowed to return to their campus for the duration of the 2021-2022 school year. The elementary program moved over to the vacant Taylorsville Elementary School and GHS closed for the school year, which contributed to IVA picking up even more students.
Students were invited back to both of PUSD’s Greenville campuses at the beginning of the 2022 school year. Student enrollment numbers indicated that PUSD’s GES had the stronger elementary program, while PCS’ IVA continued to have the stronger junior-senior high school program. These findings were taken into consideration as Roderick, the PUSD superintendent, and PCS Executive Director Taletha Washburn entered into discussions with their respective boards.
Washburn said the biggest difference between this partnership and the past partnership is that this time the new collaboration is strictly a facilities agreement and does not include competing programs. PCS is renting space from PUSD but will continue to have full access to IVA’s educational program.
Sports continue on the same campus
Prior to the fire, both schools held their own California Interscholastic Federation membership and operated their own sports teams. Post-fire, with the significant loss of students in the valley, GHS and IVA formed a multi-school sports teams agreement in 2022. The goal was to provide the option to all students in Indian Valley to come together to play on the team regardless of which school they attended.

Now, IVA site director Ryan Schramel has assumed the role of athletic director and PCS holds the CIF membership. As this agreement launches, sports will continue on the same campus. Sports fields, the gymnasium, weight and locker rooms are all included in the rental agreement. The athletics program currently offers volleyball, football, flag football, basketball for both boys and girls, baseball, softball and coed golf. Schramel said he is looking forward to growing the athletic program and expanding offerings in the years to come.
Launching the eight-year facilities partnership
PCS’s governing board voted unanimously in December 2023 to adopt a resolution that aligns with the resolution approved by the governing board of PUSD at their November 2023 board meeting. Following are the terms of the agreement:
PCS, operating IVA, will move onto the GHS campus for the term of eight years for the purpose of solely operating a program for grades seven through twelve, while PUSD will solely operate the transitional kindergarten through sixth-grade program. This agreement shall be subject to the terms and conditions agreed upon by the representatives of the parties concerned and shall be executed in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.
The finalized memorandum of understanding and facility agreement were approved by PCS’s board of directors during their February 2024 meeting and approved by PUSD’s board during their March 2024 meeting.
In the former GHS facility, IVA will continue to offer four days a week of onsite instruction and one day of independent study. IVA will utilize its current partnerships with colleges, industry leaders and educators to bring career and technical education opportunities to students. Some specialty areas of study include manufacturing and metal fabrication, agriscience, design, visual and media arts, food service, forestry and natural resources, outdoor recreation, healthcare, performing arts, public safety and software systems.
For questions, please contact PUSD Superintendent Bill Roderick at [email protected] and PCS Executive Director, Taletha Washburn at [email protected].
Information provided by Plumas Charter School