Audit finds unreliable attendance data, inconsistent calendars and missed instructional days; legislators propose statutory clarifications

An internal audit by the Utah State Board of Education’s audit office found significant inconsistencies in attendance-related data across sampled LEAs, a mix of calendar practices that sometimes fail to meet the statutory 180-day standard, and lapses in local policy alignment with code. Auditors recommended clarifying definitions and improving data processes; a legislator immediately presented draft statutory language to address data uniformity and definitions.

Who spoke: Debbie Davis, chief audit executive for the Utah State Board of Education, and Kevin John, deputy audit executive, presented the audit results and methodology. Senator Fillmore later outlined draft legislative language titled "public school attendance amendments" to address data and definitional gaps.

Audit method and notable findings Davis said the audit team first completed a related data-reliability review that compared LEA-held records with files the state received and found substantial mismatches. In that earlier work the audit team reported "12 of 13 LEAs (92%) had days-attended totals that did not match the state’s examined file," accounting for a large portion of affected student records.

For the attendance audit, the auditors obtained raw data directly from 16 LEAs (districts and charters), cleansed and normalized it for analysis, and carried out parent and educator surveys tied to the sampled LEAs. Davis said assembling and…