The State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education voted Jan. 10 to direct Dr. Clark to work with BESE member Miss Champine, staff from the governor’s office and the state Supreme Court to plan a statewide summit aimed at reducing school truancy.

Board member Dr. Clark moved the directive and Mr. Castillo seconded; the board recorded no objections and the motion passed. The motion asks Dr. Clark to coordinate with Miss Champine in her role as BESE’s representative on the Children’s Cabinet, Dr. Sabra Kingham from the governor’s office, and Chief Justice Wymer’s team to convene stakeholders for a collaborative summit.

The board framed the summit as a follow-up to a discussion the previous day in which presenters, including judicial officials, highlighted attendance as a major concern. At the meeting the board cited an average truancy rate of roughly 55% over the last four years and noted related costs discussed during prior testimony. Board remarks also cited recent state figures on teachers: a reported current teacher population of 52,808 and a reduced teacher-shortage gap moving from roughly 25,100 to about 1,000 over three years.

The motion is a formal direction to plan the summit rather than a funding commitment; the board specified collaboration with the Children’s Cabinet and judicial partners to develop the event and next steps.

The board passed the motion without recorded opposition. The summit planning assignment is intended to produce a cooperative approach to improving school attendance and will return to the board or its designees for further actions or proposals as planning progresses.