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Union Public Schools reports rising average daily attendance, chronic absenteeism easing
Summary
Superintendent team reported progress toward district attendance goals: average daily attendance at 92% as of Jan. 9 and chronic absenteeism down modestly year-over-year, with some schools showing larger improvements.
Dr. Nelson, speaking for Union Public Schools, told the board the district’s average daily attendance (ADA) was 92% as of Jan. 9, up from 91.5% at the same time last year, and that the district’s chronic absenteeism rate fell from 25.3% at the end of last December to 24.2% this year.
“Attendance has always been important to us, but we’ve made a special effort to double down on those attendance strategies,” Dr. Nelson said, outlining school-level interventions, principal-led teams and a district-level team that meets quarterly to monitor progress.
Dr. Nelson highlighted school-level gains: the freshman academy’s ADA rose by 1.22 percentage points, the middle-grade centers showed modest increases and several schools recorded multi-point declines in chronic absenteeism — Jefferson, Anderson and Grove were singled out for double- and triple-point improvements. He said the district’s goal is 93% ADA and to reduce chronic absenteeism to 23% for the year.
Board members asked clarifying questions about weather-related absences and district incentives; Dr. Nelson said the district uses targeted communications, incentives and intervention teams to address chronic cases. “You must be present to win,” he added, summarizing the district’s message to families.
No board action was required; the presentation was an informational update.
