Chico Unified board hears how attendance drives funding and student supports

Chico Unified School District trustees heard a detailed presentation about student attendance on April 2, including how attendance levels affect state funding and which interventions sites are using to bring students back to class. District staff and site leaders described data, auditing procedures and a suite of supports aimed at lowering chronic absenteeism.

The presentation, delivered by district attendance staff with site examples from Citrus Elementary and Bidwell Junior High, cited national research from Attendance Works showing chronic absenteeism is defined as missing 10 percent or more of the school year (roughly 18 days) and noted a nationwide figure of about 14.7 million students who met that threshold. The district reported that its Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) goal for attendance is 95.5 percent and that the district currently budgets using a 94 percent attendance assumption. "If we can increase to 95 percent, it would generate an additional $575,000 in funding," district staff said.

The district explained how California funding is tied to average daily attendance (ADA) and to three reporting options (current year, prior year, or a three-year average). Staff clarified that P2…