Dallas ISD approves $5M push to curb chronic absences

The Dallas ISD board voted up to $5 million in one-time funding to address chronic absenteeism after district experts cautioned that almost one in four students misses too much school, and incremental progress will not reverse academic deficits.

At a Dec. 18 meeting, the board approved using cash to reduce chronic absences, which Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde estimated affect 24% of pupils. District officials say the effort will track and re-engage often-absent pupils through tailored outreach and new digital technologies.

Elizalde told trustees, “Minor incremental improvement is not going to change our student outcomes,” KERA News reported.

District authorities expect the money to help with family outreach, case management, and technology tools to discover attendance patterns and intervene earlier. Unspecified vendors are being considered.

The issue goes beyond Dallas. According to The Texas Tribune, 19% of Texas students are chronically absent, up from 11% before the COVID-19 pandemic. The Kinder Institute at Rice University found that districts are utilizing labor-intensive methods, including home visits, family canvassing, and specialized case management, to re-engage pupils.

According to KERA News, Trustee Bryon Sanders commended the board's attendance outreach initiative, calling it a crucial aspect of public education.

Attendance-intervention initiatives in Dallas ISD include family advocacy, truancy prevention, and home visits. District officials say the extra funds might expand those initiatives, especially at high-absenteeism campuses. The district's attendance tools describe campus-level actions for the most absent pupils.

The $5 million program faces funding constraints. Trustees are considering a multibillion-dollar bond and long-term facility, technological, and safety upgrades. According to The Dallas Morning News, board members asked administrators to offer more extensive budget and bond papers online before January meetings to properly examine how the attendance program fits amid competing objectives during a recent workshop.

District officials call the spending a targeted, temporary effort. Next steps include selecting vendors, selecting campuses for early adoption, and determining whether the technique boosts attendance.

As Dallas ISD tries to prove that targeted outreach and new technology can link students with classrooms and enhance academic achievement, parents, students, and trustees will follow the implementation.