Edcouch‑Elsa ISD review finds attendance audit errors and warns of six‑figure funding shortfall
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Summary
A district attendance audit corrected 1,005 first‑semester coding errors and highlighted a first‑semester ADA shortfall that the superintendent said equates to a roughly $309,818 budget gap; the report also estimated a larger baseline funding impact of about $1.7 million tied to 21,167 recorded absences.
Edcouch‑Elsa ISD trustees were presented with an attendance audit and funding analysis at their Jan. 26 regular meeting, and district leaders warned that coding and absenteeism problems are costing the district significant state funding.
The superintendent (identified in the transcript as Speaker 3) told trustees the district’s ADA budgeting goal was 3,706 but first‑semester ADA came in at 3,656.15, a difference the presentation put at $309,818 for budgeting purposes. The same presentation reported 21,167 absences for the first semester; the superintendent said that number represents an approximate baseline funding loss of about $1,700,000.
"Attendance absolutely matters," the superintendent said while summarizing the audit and the financial implications for the district.
The district audit, led by "Miss Veil," checked attendance entries against principals and attendance clerks and found 1,005 first‑semester errors that were corrected; a second, shorter audit covering Jan. 6–16 found 301 discrepancies that were fixed. Errors included failure to code medical excuses properly and period‑by‑period recording inconsistencies.
Board members pressed for clearer targets and stronger communication with campus staff. One trustee asked whether the district had a target for home visits; the superintendent confirmed targets exist but said hard numbers would be reviewed and that staff will return with more precise figures next month. Trustees noted the district recorded 983 community aide home visits and 394 truancy‑officer visits in the first semester but said those visiting counts appeared low given the scale of absences.
The superintendent explained state auditing windows have tightened—attendance is reviewed every six weeks now—and urged timelier submission of medical excuses so absences can be reclassified and funding secured. The superintendent also described a new sign‑off process for travel and event lists intended to reduce coding mistakes.
Trustees asked for staff training and an LSG (local shared governance) session explaining attendance processes and controls. The board did not take a policy vote on attendance at the meeting; staff were directed to return with concrete targets, comparisons to other districts and the hard numbers needed for budgeting decisions.