A desk at Pacific Valley School in Big Sur, California.
There is no doubt: there are children missing a lot of schoolNationwide, more than a quarter of public school students were chronically absent last year, compared with about 15% before the pandemic.
California children are no exception. A recent report from the Bay Area News Group said the average California student missed 14.6 school days last year.
This happens for many reasons, including transportation and mental health issues. Perhaps most discouraging is the idea that the pandemic has altered the state of society. relationship with school, changing attendance to be considered “optional.” We are already seeing the consequences.
The rise in absenteeism has also highlighted an inequity in the way California funds public schools. Our state’s schools lose about $3.6 billion annually due to student absences, this paper reported. This is because California currently funds schools based on the average number of students who attend school each day. That is different from the number of enrolled students, whom the school is responsible for educating. We are one of six states that still fund schools this way.
Students from low-income families — about 60% of students – are more like miss school. Children who miss a lot of school often need support. However, when they are absent, the State does not offer support. Instead, he withholds money for his education. This means that schools serving low-income students often end up with less funding than more affluent schools, hampering educators’ ability to address students’ needs and improve academic outcomes. This is unfair, but we have an opportunity to address it.
Our experience in Aspire to public schools has taught us that countering chronic absenteeism requires a thoughtful and resource-intensive approach. We serve more than 15,000 students, the vast majority of whom live in poverty. We offer attendance incentives, transportation supports, direct outreach to families, and mental health supports, to name a few. Those efforts are significant: Our schools had an average chronic absenteeism rate of about 26% this year (about the same as last year). of the state), compared with around 40% two years ago.
We are relentless in our pursuit because we care about our students, we value their presence in our community, and we know they need to be in school to learn. But it is a crisis that a quarter of Aspire students, and across the state, are chronically absent. While hardworking educators will surely continue to labor to solve this problem, that will not solve the funding inequality that lies beneath the surface.
California lawmakers should change the way schools are funded to provide resources for the number of students schools must serve. We have thrown a bell to help make this happen.
By funding based on student enrollment, we can increase resources for schools serving the most vulnerable children. A report estimates that about 90% of districts would receive more funding under an enrollment-based formula. The biggest boost would come in districts with high percentages of low-income students, English learners and foster youth.
Senator Anthony Portantino Senate Bill 98co-sponsored by state Superintendent Tony Thurmond, would require the Legislative Analyst’s Office to study what this funding change would mean and share findings by 2026. (Whether this would require a change to Proposition 98, the voter-approved initiative that establishes a minimum funding levels for K-12 schools would likely be addressed in this study, offering policymakers a useful path forward).
This account, What happened of the Assembly Education Committee unanimously on June 12, would be a big step in the right direction.
There will be costs associated with changing school funding. We recognize the complex budget situation facing policymakers and understand that they must juggle competing priorities. But maintaining such inequality goes against California values. And the costs of our children losing their education are much greater.
All students deserve our support: they all have skills and gifts that should be fostered. By changing the way our funding formula counts students, we allow resources to be more equitably targeted to student needs, including the support needed to attend classes. We also send our students a message: you are valuable and your place in our community is important.
Mala Batra is CEO of Aspire Public Schools, a network of charter schools serving more than 15,000 TK through 12th grade students in 36 schools in historically underserved communities throughout California.
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