Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Attendance Management topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
South Bend schools cite major attendance gains and review outcomes-based SchoolStatus contract
Summary
District officials presented year-over-year attendance gains (persistent attendance rose from 34.4% to 56.5%; overall attendance from 82.7% to 91.1%) and previewed a SchoolStatus contract that would automate attendance tracking for $3.50 per student (cap $44,611) plus $1.50 contingent per student ($19,119) if outcomes are met.
District leaders told the school board on July 27 that the district posted its largest year-over-year improvement in attendance in recent memory, and they asked trustees to consider a vendor contract to maintain and scale that progress.
"This past school year, that number increased to 56.5 percent," Sierra Savannah, the district attendance officer, said, citing the share of students classified as persistently attending. She told the board the district’s overall attendance rose from 82.7% to 91.1% and that the portion of students identified as chronically absent dropped from roughly 49.4% to 28.8%.
The presentation continued with a demonstration by SchoolStatus, a software-as-a-service vendor. Michelle Gough, SchoolStatus general counsel, said the product pulls data from the district student information system, automatically identifies students who meet attendance thresholds and sends communications such as texts, emails and letters — preserving manual records and scheduling required conferences. "Our product does all of the student level tracking that Sierra mentioned that she and her team are having to do manually," she said.
Administrators described the software as intended to reduce time spent on documentation so attendance secretaries can focus on in-person outreach and interventions. SchoolStatus proposed an outcomes-based contract: a base payment of $3.50 per student with a cap of $44,611 and a contingent $1.50 per student (an additional $19,119) tied to attendance improvements and a small qualitative survey of secretaries. If all outcomes are achieved, the total annual cost would be $63,730, the company said.
Board members pressed on whether the tool would replace existing attendance secretaries, how training would be handled, and how the product integrates with PowerSchool and MTSS (multi-tiered systems of support). SchoolStatus and district staff repeatedly said the intent is automation of routine paperwork and communications, not replacement of existing staff, and that training would be provided so secretaries can use the system to increase family engagement.
The board did not vote on a contract at the July 27 meeting; administration said it would return with cost details and a proposed contract if the board wishes to proceed.
