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Woodland CCSD 50 superintendent flags chronic absenteeism and retention while praising report-card standing
Summary
Superintendent presented the Illinois School Report Card, noting a ‘commendable’ district rating but persistent problems: about 20% of students miss more than 10% of school days and staff retention pressures remain. Administration outlined family-coordinator supports, curriculum work and early-childhood proposals.
The Woodland CCSD 50 superintendent presented the district’s Illinois School Report Card at the board’s Dec. 16 meeting, describing the report as a snapshot that reflects data compiled at different times and urging the board to consider the context around headline numbers.
"The Illinois school report card provides a snapshot at a moment in time," the superintendent said, warning that timing differences can make some comparisons misleading. The district’s overall designation, the superintendent said, is "commendable," placing the schools among the top roughly 90% statewide under current criteria.
The most urgent concern raised was chronic absenteeism. The superintendent told the board that roughly 20% of district students miss more than 10% of the school year. "When you look at 20 percent of our students across the district who are missing out on more than 10% of the year, they're not participating, and they're not connecting," the superintendent said, adding that family and transportation barriers remain important drivers.
To address attendance, the district will rely on recently hired family coordinators and other outreach: the superintendent said family coordinators will present to the board next month and that the district is exploring ways to engage parents and provide transportation and support. She also suggested studying embedded co‑teaching and a universal preschool or extended-day early‑childhood model to increase early engagement and readiness.
The presentation also highlighted staff retention as a pressing need. The superintendent noted that although Woodland has a highly credentialed workforce—about 70% of teachers hold master’s degrees and eight are nationally board certified—retention challenges persist. "When people leave, there's no consistency," the superintendent said, urging the board to consider compensation and benefit investments to retain teachers.
On academic measures the superintendent told the board the state recently changed proficiency cut scores for grades 3–8, complicating year‑to‑year comparisons. She urged the board to weigh student-growth metrics (MAP, I-Ready) in addition to single-year proficiency results.
Board members asked for deeper dives on math curriculum and broader data, including the 5 Essentials survey; several suggested a committee-of-the-whole session to examine math and curriculum trends. The superintendent said curriculum work for K–5 literacy is underway and that math curriculum review will follow.
The presentation closed with a call to balance celebration and attention to areas needing improvement: the superintendent said district trends show improvement in many schools but that targeted actions are required on attendance, retention and equitable discipline.
