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District expands attendance campaign after 3% drop in chronic absenteeism; postcards, partnerships and incentives planned
Summary
The board heard a rollout of an expanded attendance campaign—“Attend today, achieve more tomorrow, all day, every day”—that the district says cut chronic absenteeism by 3% (about 250 students) last year and will expand school-level plans, postcards to students, business partnerships and banners.
District officials told the board they will expand the Attend Today, Achieve More Tomorrow attendance campaign to emphasize daily attendance across all grades.
"Attend today, achieve more tomorrow, all day, every day," said Mister Schulz as he described district messaging and school-level supports designed to increase daily attendance.
Mister Hamilton said the district saw a 3% reduction in chronic absenteeism last school year — roughly 250 students — with the largest gains at secondary schools. He said that reductions in chronic absence are linked to student success and that early intervention in September is critical.
Schools will update attendance plans, set school-specific goals (with an 80% district target for students attending at least 90% of days), and add targeted outreach. New elements this year include postcards to students who miss class (short messages to say “we miss you” and reinforce care), updated school banners and expanded incentives (school-specific swag, family raffles, gift cards) funded in part by local business partners. Hy-Vee was named as a continuing partner for quarter-end incentives.
At the secondary level, Mrs. Comine described a tiered, team-driven intervention model: prevention strategies for all students; weekly data reviews using the state student success portal and PowerSchool to identify students needing supports; and personalized interventions such as summer "knock and talks" and outreach to families.
District communications staff said video series, billboards and local media outreach will remain central to publicity. A student clip shown during the meeting emphasized the campaign’s message in students’ own words.
What’s next: schools will finalize updated attendance plans, coordinate incentives with business partners, and continue to report progress to the board.
