ISD 622 principals highlight attendance gains, student voice and equity efforts; district leaders outline budget pressures

Principals from Tartan High School, North High School and the district’s online and alternative high school updated the ISD 622 school board on Jan. 28 about attendance, equity and student supports, reporting incremental improvements in chronic absenteeism and highlighting extracurricular and affinity programs that staff say increase student engagement.

At Tartan, Principal Bethany Dissent said chronic absenteeism — measured as students absent 10 percent or more of school days — declined from 30.2 percent last year to 28.4 percent so far this school year and that Tartan is on track to meet a school improvement goal of reducing that rate to 35 percent districtwide. Dissent described bimonthly grade‑level support teams, a Promise Fellow position focused on students with chronic absence, and “Win Time” weekly sessions where students and staff can sign up for targeted supports. She described efforts to increase student voice, including a principals’ cabinet that meets during Win Time and small operational changes (for example, moving food service stations) that staff addressed after student input.

North High School Principal Kevin Wolf told the board his building also is seeing improvements after implementing attendance mentors — staff assigned short, intensive two‑week caseloads to re‑engage students — and weekly data reviews to triage students most at risk. Wolf said North has seen a roughly three‑point improvement overall after the first trimester and double‑digit decreases for ninth and tenth grades in some measures. He emphasized that student affinity groups — Black Student Union, Asian Student Alliance, Latinx groups and GSA — have become “cornerstones” of student voice and engagement, citing high weekly attendance at those clubs and large community events tied to cultural celebrations.

Steph Gokin, principal for the district’s online high school and alternative learning center (ALC), described growth in enrollment for alternative programs and credit‑recovery outcomes. Gokin said the ALC grew from an initial 14 students to about 65 and that the district’s online high school currently enrolls about 86 students. Both programs use a digital curriculum that provides real‑time progress data and flexible in‑person or virtual supports. Gokin said alternative and online students have recovered hundreds of credits districtwide and that 46 students are back on track to graduate as a result of credit‑recovery pathways and after‑school options.

Superintendent Tucci Osorio and Assistant Superintendent Andy Beeton framed the principals’ work against a district fiscal overview delivered later in the meeting. Osorio and finance staff described an anticipated FY‑26 funding increase tied to a new state formula capped at roughly 2–2.5 percent for inflation, but warned of broader budget pressures including rising operational costs and a projected local gap in the range of $7–9 million (district staff have floated a $10 million planning figure). The superintendent also explained a recent change in how the state counts students for compensatory revenue (low‑income weighting), which could reduce district allocations if direct certification rates fall; the governor’s proposal would temporarily hold districts harmless while a task force reviews the measure.

Board members asked how equity and student belonging interact with academic achievement. School leaders said the district is pursuing curricular revisions (English curriculum rollout, math year‑three implementation and revised science standards) while also investing in student supports and extracurriculars to increase attendance and thereby give students the opportunity to benefit from improved instruction.

Why this matters: District leaders said lowering chronic absenteeism and keeping students connected to clubs, teams and affinity spaces is a core strategy to improve longer‑term academic outcomes. Credit recovery successes also affect graduation rates and post‑secondary pathways, district staff said.

What’s next: Principals will continue to track attendance by grade and return to the board with updated data; district finance staff will return with refined FY‑26 budget assumptions as legislative activity and enrollment patterns become clearer.