North Las Vegas touts $250,000 in microgrants as part of push to curb chronic absenteeism

Ingrid Johnson, education manager for the City of North Las Vegas, told the education advisory committee the city has distributed more than $250,000 in microgrants to North Las Vegas schools, covering 25 campuses with 38 awards intended to spur classroom innovation and improve attendance.

"The focus of this grant program was to drive innovation in classrooms, boost student achievement, and prepare students for success," Johnson said, summarizing the program's aims and noting staff are tracking implementation at participating sites.

Wilson Ramos, who spoke about implementation and incentives, said the programs leaned heavily on student-facing rewards. "Students love to be incentivized," he said, and staff have been "watching and listening to the teachers and administrators that are conducting these projects on their campuses" to judge results.

Councilor Brianna Perkins questioned whether addressing absenteeism through incentives treats a symptom rather than root causes such as access, mental health and family engagement. "It kinda feels like this chronic absenteeism is a symptom rather than the root cause," Perkins said, asking what early indicators schools use to identify students at risk before absences become chronic.

Johnson said the district required participating schools to gather baseline and follow-up data on any targeted attendance improvements but cautioned she could not recite the figures from memory at the meeting: "We did collect data from the schools and they reported back on how… I wouldn't be able to repeat it to you right now, just off the top of my head," she said, while adding that reported implementation findings were "instructive."

Committee members and parents described several approaches showing promise in particular schools: Saturday tutoring for students failing math with parents invited to learn alongside children, attendance-driven reward events such as tournaments, and on-site dry pantries that gave families points for student attendance toward essential household items.

No formal policy was adopted at the meeting. Staff encouraged schools and student groups to exchange successful practices and to reapply for future grant rounds or seek alternative funding sources such as community development block grants.

The committee listed upcoming education advisory meetings as outreach opportunities for continued discussion and follow-up.