Casa Grande superintendent highlights attendance gains and reminds voters of ongoing bond vote

Dr. Lecky, superintendent of the Casa Grande Elementary School District, told the board the district has improved its overall performance over the last four years and continues to “dig deeper into continuous improvement.” He noted school letter grades were released the prior week and described sustained progress across the district.

The superintendent said the bond measure vote was still in progress during the meeting and urged community members to return ballots; he said “we have now 54 minutes left in the vote” at the time of his remarks. He described the bond as intended to fund school building renovations, technology updates and safety improvements if approved.

Dr. Lecky highlighted attendance as a district priority and described a multi-year reduction in chronic absenteeism. “Several years ago, our chronic absenteeism rate was over 54 percent,” he said, and recounted that the district reduced rates from about 54 percent to roughly 47 percent and then to 35 percent last year. He said the current-year target is 25 percent and that the district is “on pace to meet that target.”

Board member Mr. Shute asked for clarification on the progress; Dr. Lecky responded that last year’s target produced a decline to about 35 percent and that the district is tracking toward its 25 percent target for the current year. The superintendent emphasized family partnership and staff efforts as central to continued progress, and said the district will keep inviting families to engage in students’ education.

No formal board action was taken on the bond during the meeting; the superintendent’s comments described ongoing outreach and implementation planning only.