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District flags sharp absenteeism, suspension increases for vulnerable groups and outlines targeted steps
Summary
MCSD staff presented preliminary California dashboard data showing rising chronic absenteeism and suspensions among several vulnerable subgroups (preliminary figures cited: Black/African-American ~44.9% chronically absent; homeless students ~61.4%), and outlined targeted interventions including expanded learning, restorative practices, an early-champion program, and a local dashboard to track impact.
Director Aaron Alexander and Assistant Superintendent Sergio Mendes briefed the board on MCSD’s preliminary lowest-performing students analysis at the Oct. 28 meeting, focusing on five state-identified groups: Black/African-American students, students with disabilities, long-term English learners (LTELs), foster youth and students experiencing homelessness.
The presentation used early data ahead of the state's official dashboard release and cited preliminary trends: a districtwide chronic-absenteeism increase of 1.4% and a suspension-rate increase of 1.3%. Staff highlighted subgroup concerns: preliminary figures noted a 44.9% chronic-absenteeism rate among Black/African-American students in the prior year and a 61.4% rate for students experiencing homelessness. Alexander stressed that these figures are preliminary and that the California dashboard’s Nov. 13 release will provide the canonical state numbers.
To address the disparities, staff described a layered strategy. Short-term operational responses include expanded learning opportunities (more than 1,000 students enrolled in ELOP programs), targeted tutoring and high-leverage intervention tutoring services, an 'early champion' identification model that connects vulnerable students with trusted adults earlier, expanded restorative-justice partnerships with Restorative Justice League, and development of a local dashboard to track real-time impacts of contracted services.
Trustees pressed for granular metrics: how many students in each subgroup attend contracted programs (e.g., Mathnasium, community partners), whether participating students show measurable gains, and grade/site-level differences. Staff pledged to provide disaggregated program impact analyses and to report back with updated, state-validated numbers at the Dec. 9 board meeting.
The discussion repeatedly connected absenteeism to instructional loss: board members emphasized that students must attend school to benefit from tutoring and afterschool programs and asked for concrete outreach plans (home visits, targeted invitations) to get chronically absent students into programming. Staff said they will include such outreach plans and program-specific performance metrics in the next briefing.
