Attendance Awareness Month launches in September

All schools in Orange County will be back in session in September, making it a great time to emphasize the importance of not missing school.

Students miss days and classes for a variety of reasons, but attendance can be a particular struggle for low-income families, transient students and those experiencing homelessness. It is critical that schools intervene early to identify and address the issues that contribute to chronic absenteeism.

Research has shown that being absent just 10 percent of the school year can greatly affect a student’s academic success. Helping students build the habit of attending school every day and on time will benefit them in school, college and work.

To help schools address the attendance crisis, the California Department of Education has partnered with Attendance Works to create a set of resources, including this helpful infographic, which can be printed and posted in key locations throughout school campuses. Additional resources including posters, banners and social media tools are available on the Attendance Works website.

Remember that addressing chronic absenteeism is the key to improving graduation rates, increasing academic achievement and giving young people the best chance at success now and in the future.

OCDE helps Ocean View School District recoup general fund revenue

With support from the Orange County Department of Education, the Ocean View School District has been granted an attendance credit by the state that will restore approximately $800,000 worth of potentially lost general fund revenue for the 2015-16 fiscal year.

OCDE has worked closely with Ocean View officials since three of the district’s elementary schools — Hope View, Lake View and Oak View — were temporarily closed in the fall due to asbestos concerns. Students from the impacted sites were later bussed to other campuses throughout the county and have since returned to classrooms within the Ocean View district.

Meanwhile, the shuttering of three campuses has taken a toll financially, due to the mitigation of asbestos, reconstruction, lease and transportation costs. In addition, the temporary closures resulted in a significant drop in student attendance, and because attendance rates determine the majority of funding, the district was looking at reduced revenue for next year.

In response, Ocean View leaders, working in conjunction with members of OCDE’s finance team, submitted a request to the California Department of Education in January asking for relief. Last month, the state responded with a letter indicating Ocean View’s waiver had been approved, covering the loss in attendance for the days that its schools were closed and a material decrease in attendance that exceeded 10 percent.

School districts have the option to petition the state for lost revenue based on emergencies, closures and other hardships that impact attendance. The formulas get a little complicated, but they’re based on apportionment days — or the number of days attended by each student. For Ocean View, the state’s waiver translates into about $800,000 in restored funding, according to Wendy Benkert, OCDE’s associate superintendent of business services.

“This was an important step for the Ocean View community,” Benkert said. “Superintendent Gustavo Balderas and his staff are taking every precaution to ensure the safety and wellbeing of students in this current year and beyond, and now it’s critical that we all work together to make sure the district has the resources necessary to continue supporting high-quality instruction at all levels.”