Tehachapi Unified reports slight enrollment dip, outlines actions to reduce chronic absenteeism
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Summary
Superintendent Brian Bell and attendance staff told the board that district attendance is up from last year but remains below goal (about 93.58% year-to-date); staff described tools, home visits and incentives aimed at recovering chronically absent students and noted the chronic list includes roughly 700 names (many may be withdrawn).
Tehachapi Unified School District leaders told the board on Nov. 18 that student attendance has improved compared with some prior years but still falls short of the district goal and that staff are intensifying outreach to chronically absent students.
“School attendance is important,” said Cathy Guy, the district truancy officer, introducing an attendance initiative that pairs Aeries/KIDS data with messaging tools and site-level teams. Guy said the district’s year-to-date attendance rate appears on district slides as about 93.58 percent and that the state’s definition of chronic absenteeism — missing 10 percent of school days — makes it easier to register as chronically absent early in the year.
Why it matters: The board set a 95 percent attendance goal and district staff said several short-term hits — including a low-water event at Tehachapi High School the week before Veterans Day — contributed to a drop in daily attendance. Staff emphasized that chronic absenteeism is often driven by complex barriers, including health issues, housing instability and transportation.
What the district will do: Guy and colleagues described active follow-up protocols: automated truancy letters via SchoolStatus, site attendance review teams (SART), targeted home visits to identify barriers, referrals for transportation or housing assistance, and incentives such as tutoring and Saturday school. Guy said staff also document outreach in Aeries so subsequent staff can pick up where others left off.
Board questions and scale: Vice President Kelly asked for raw counts beneath the 9 percent chronic rate shown on slides. Staff initially noted that 9 percent of a 4,000-student baseline could imply roughly 360 students but then clarified that a printout of the chronic list had been roughly 700 names; many of those entries reflect students who later withdrew or transferred and will be filtered out. The district said it prioritizes students with 75 percent or lower positive attendance for immediate outreach.
Closing: Guy emphasized the human results of the work: “There’s nothing better than seeing those kids walk across the stage,” she said, describing former students who returned to graduate after sustained outreach. The board thanked staff for the data and the ongoing home-visit and follow-up work.
Next steps: District staff will continue SART meetings, document interventions in Aeries, track the effects of attendance recovery incentives and report back on progress toward the 95 percent goal.
