North Las Vegas staff cite $250,000 in microgrants as a tool to curb chronic absenteeism

City education staff told the North Las Vegas Education Advisory Committee that targeted microgrants have been used to test strategies intended to reduce chronic absenteeism.

“In the last several months, [we] distributed over $250,000 to North Las Vegas schools in micro grants that went to administrators and teachers,” Ingrid Johnson, education manager for the City of North Las Vegas, said. Johnson said 25 schools received awards across 38 grants that funded classroom incentives and family-engagement strategies designed to increase students’ time in class.

Wilson Ramos, who described program implementation, said the grants emphasized incentivization systems and required sites to collect baseline and post-implementation data. “What we do know…students love to be incentivized,” he said, noting staff are monitoring outcomes to see whether attendance and academic measures improved. The committee asked staff to return with clearer pre/post numbers; Johnson said the schools reported data to staff but she could not recite the figures from memory.

Committee members and students described concrete incentives used at award sites. Examples included Saturday school programs to target students failing middle-school math and on-campus "dry pantries" where families earn points toward essentials for improved attendance. Student Araya Ramos added a student perspective, saying a lack of social connection also drives absences and suggesting more small-group activities to build belonging.

Staff asked the committee for additional ideas and encouraged members to share promising local practices so successful approaches can be replicated.