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Board reviews alarming chronic-absence rates across district; asks for data-driven interventions
Summary
Superintendent Dr. Segura presented chronic-absence figures showing 18.7% districtwide and localized rates as high as 41.4% at one elementary campus; the board discussed school-level attendance-improvement plans, automated family notifications, and data tracking to evaluate interventions.
Superintendent Dr. Segura told the board that chronic absenteeism is now a district-level strategic priority, and she presented the latest figures for semester one: "We have 18.7 percent or 73 students who have already missed 10% or more of the school year," she said. Rates were higher at individual schools: 41.4% at PVIS, 24.4% at the 6th Grade Academy, 36% at Pojoaque Valley Middle School, and 38.36% at the high school.
Dr. Segura described the district's response: each school has an attendance improvement plan required by the Attendance for Success Act, an automated EDIA text-notification system to alert families immediately after an absence, and targeted interventions at defined thresholds. She also told the board that teacher and staff attendance and accurate daily attendance-taking are critical to producing reliable data for identifying students who need support.
Board members pressed for evidence on which interventions are working and for a plan to collect comparative data over the school year. One member suggested tracking the effectiveness of specific outreach or home visits and reporting back at year end so the board can determine resource needs, including potential staff or budget allocations to expand wraparound services.
The board did not adopt a new policy in the meeting; members directed administration to continue tracking outcomes, to present comparative results later in the year, and to identify budget implications if additional intervention staff are required.
