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Oxford board flags rising teacher absenteeism; superintendent outlines monitoring steps
Summary
Superintendent presented a district‑level certified staff attendance report showing an average of about 15 days absent per certified staff in 2024–25 (state average cited as 13.3). He urged development of management protocols and highlighted that the district average is driven by a small number of staff with very high absence totals.
Superintendent Dr. Ralph Marino presented the district’s 2024–25 certified staff attendance report and said Oxford’s four‑year cohort graduation rate remains strong at 94% compared with the state’s 88.9%, but staff absenteeism warrants attention.
Marino said the report uses the state’s methodology—excluding long‑term leaves such as maternity and FMLA—to measure absenteeism and showed Oxford’s average certified‑staff absence at roughly 15 days, versus the most recent state average of 13.3 days. "This is where we are based on data that is comparable to the way the state calculates this," Marino said, adding that a small number of staff with extremely high absenteeism (some exceeding 20 days) is driving the district average.
Board members pressed for context and history. Vinnie Kadella asked why the problem had not been flagged earlier, saying the trend "doesn't get this bad overnight." Marino and other members traced part of the issue to reporting gaps and the district’s lack of an assistant superintendent for personnel, which Marino said left a gap in HR oversight. "As soon as there’s some awareness and the sun shines on this, awareness alone will have a positive effect on attendance," Marino said.
Members discussed common district practices elsewhere as potential responses: counseling staff when absences reach about 10 days, requiring a doctor’s note after about 15 days, and using evaluation goals for staff with chronic absenteeism. Board member Sue noted that prior union negotiations and contract language had tried to limit predictable long‑weekend absences and asked the administration to clarify which committees or reports should have tracked rising rates earlier.
Marino cautioned that new state paid‑sick‑leave rules and collective bargaining limits complicate enforcement: the transcript records a discussion that the recently passed paid‑sick‑leave act (described as awaiting the governor’s signature in the meeting) can restrict mandating medical verification for the first 40 hours of leave and that local contract language matters when determining increment rules.
The board did not take formal disciplinary action at the meeting. Marino said the report will be shared with building principals and recommended developing protocols to monitor attendance, set thresholds for interventions, and recognize staff with exemplary attendance. He proposed that next year’s data serve as a baseline for evaluating improvement.
