Gilroy Unified principals highlight attendance gaps, ELD and interventions at board meeting

Rod Kelly and Elliott elementary principals told the Gilroy Unified School District Board of Education on Nov. 20 that the district’s elementary sites are showing signs of cohort growth while also facing persistent attendance and English-learner challenges.

"My name is Kathy Moss, and I am the new principal this year at Rod Kelly Elementary School," Principal Kathy Moss said, presenting enrollment and assessment data for Rod Kelly. She reported Rod Kelly had "close to 700" students, with about 59% socioeconomically disadvantaged, roughly 30% English learners, 87 students with disabilities and 13 identified as unhoused. Moss said about 47% of students met or exceeded ELA standards on the CAST assessment in 2025 and outlined priority actions for 2025–26: targeted small-group reading and math interventions, designated ELD blocks, professional learning communities and increased VAPA opportunities.

Elliott Principal Maricela Rivera presented similar themes for her site. Rivera said Elliott serves about 481 students, with roughly 85% socioeconomically disadvantaged, a large share of English learners and about 24% chronic absenteeism. She noted Elliott recently received a PBIS platinum recognition and said the school will prioritize implementing designated and integrated ELD, deeper professional development on scaffolding and a schoolwide attendance campaign supported by a wellness center.

Board members pressed both principals on how they identify and support unhoused and chronically absent students. Moss described home visits, attendance-team meetings and connections to district and community resources including Community Solutions. Rivera described a community liaison who conducts outreach, an attendance clerk who coordinates SAR/T meetings and efforts to enroll families in before- and after-school programs; both principals emphasized relationship-building with families.

Both principals said the district is piloting interventions and collecting data to refine support. Rivera said Elliott’s I‑Ready diagnostics showed growth from about 8% at the beginning of the year to about 30% proficient by the end of year measures in reading for some grades, and she emphasized phonics, small-group instruction and scaffolded instruction as part of the next steps.

The board requested more disaggregated attendance and chronic-absence data, particularly to isolate effects from the district’s youngest and oldest cohorts, and asked staff to provide a follow-up report on strategies to increase parent engagement and reduce chronic absenteeism. The district said it will provide site-level breakdowns and continue monitoring interventions through its site plans.

The meeting moved next to recognitions and routine business; no new board action resulted directly from the presentations.