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EPISD launches 'Right Here, Right Now' attendance campaign and advisory process
Summary
District communications and student services staff described a data‑driven attendance campaign and an advisory process that will produce recommendations on the district of innovation by November and possible board action in January.
At the Sept. 16 board meeting, communications and student services staff presented a multi‑department campaign to improve student attendance, previewed a public rollout and said an advisory committee will recommend whether to continue district of innovation provisions tied to attendance efforts.
Liza Rodriguez, chief communications officer, said the campaign—branded “Right Here, Right Now”—was built from research and principal and student input and aims to change the post‑pandemic attendance mindset by reaching students on the platforms they use and by creating incentives and recognition at the classroom, campus and district levels. Rodriguez said the campaign will include paid social media, community partnerships and a series of local events; she noted Fridays historically show lower attendance and that students who miss 10 days can suffer grade drops.
Tevan Zaire, communications director, said the district will post weekly transparency updates on campaign performance and that tactical elements include attendance “battles” between high schools (with prizes for principals) and targeted outreach through partners and the education foundation. Student and parent services staff said the district will use Everyday Labs and Apogee to send parent nudges and notifications, provide resource referrals and produce campus‑level attendance data for administrators.
Maribel Macias, chief organizational transformation and innovation officer, described a working committee of 11 departments that has reviewed data and will convene a broader advisory committee in October including parents, counselors and campus leaders. Macias said the advisory group will produce a comprehensive recommendation for the board in November, with a possible board action on district of innovation provisions in January. The district noted a 1 percent increase in average daily attendance is worth about $3.2 million to the district.
Trustees discussed the need for earlier parent communication on routing and attendance, asked for deeper analysis of chronic absenteeism drivers at campus level and requested periodic updates once the campaign is live. Staff asked trustees to help promote the campaign and the foundation’s Oct. 16 giving day tied to attendance supports.
No board vote occurred; staff said the campaign rollout begins immediately with a phased reveal and that follow‑up reports and the advisory committee recommendations will return to the board in November and January.
