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Los Alamitos superintendent urges higher attendance, says 1% gain could mean $1 million for district programs
Summary
Superintendent Dr. Pulver highlighted Peace Week activities and announced an attendance initiative, saying the district’s 2024–25 average daily attendance was 95.77% and that a one‑percentage‑point rise could yield roughly $1 million in additional state funding.
Superintendent Dr. Chris Pulver told the Los Alamitos Unified School District Board on Oct. 9 that the district is expanding programs to improve student belonging and attendance, and stressed the direct link between attendance and state funding.
"Our average attendance rate was 95.77," Pulver said, adding that the district’s funding formula averages attendance over three years and that small changes compound over time. He told the board the district received about $99,000,000 in funding vs. a hypothetical $103,000,000 if funded on full enrollment, which he described as a roughly $4.3 million gap. "If we could just increase our attendance by 1% ... that would be an increase of a million dollars," Pulver said.
Pulver framed attendance work as part of broader student‑wellness efforts. He described district observances of Peace Week—an initiative intended to promote acceptance, kindness and connectedness—as well as planned Walk/Bike to School days to reduce traffic and strengthen community ties. Oak, Lee, Weaver, McGaugh, McAuliffe and Hopkinson were identified as participating sites for upcoming events.
The superintendent also outlined a light‑hearted attendance challenge starting Oct. 13 between Oak and McAuliffe middle schools, with a goal of 98% for a single week and school‑spirit consequences for the losing principal, intended to encourage family scheduling that avoids school‑day absences.
Why it matters: California funds schools on average daily attendance rather than raw enrollment. The district’s reported attendance decline since the pandemic has budget implications for staffing and programming. Board members repeatedly noted that roughly 85% of the district budget goes to salaries and benefits, amplifying the impact of attendance‑driven funding swings.
Next steps: District staff said they will coordinate public information with the district PIO and student services to promote the attendance challenge and report results to the board at a future meeting.
