"If the Legislature wants to boost school funding, analysts argued, it should use the existing attendance-based model and funnel more money to schools with high numbers of low-income students, students in foster care and English learners. When it comes to attendance, money talks, the report noted. For more than a century, California has funded schools based on average daily attendance how many students show up every day."
"Although attendance has improved somewhat since campuses closed during the pandemic, it remains well below pre-COVID-19 levels. In 2019, nearly 96% of students showed up to school every day. The number dropped to about 90% during COVID-19, when most schools switched to remote learning, but still remains about 2 percentage points below its previous high. Attendance is tied to a host of student success measurements. Students with strong attendance tend to have higher test scores, higher levels of reading proficiency and higher graduation rates."
California currently funds K-12 schools based on average daily attendance, a model in place for more than a century. Forty-five other states fund based on enrollment, which would increase California's school funding by an estimated $6 billion annually. Tying funding to enrollment could reduce schools' incentives to boost daily attendance, potentially lowering attendance and harming student outcomes. Historical pilot studies in the 1980s and 1990s showed attendance increased when schools had financial incentives. Attendance remains below pre-pandemic levels and is linked to higher test scores, reading proficiency and graduation rates. Policymakers should instead increase attendance-based funding targeted to high-need student populations.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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