Can we do this?

To All Buckeye Union Families,

If you were a parent of a student in Buckeye Union last year, you may remember my plea for us all to work together to improve student attendance. Fast forward, and I am grateful to share that the hard work of all has paid off.

Most importantly, chronic absenteeism has declined significantly from 18.6% in '21-'22 to 5.71% in '24-'25. In fact, every school in Buckeye Union was below 10% in chronic absenteeism for '24-'25.

Furthermore, overall attendance improved to an average daily rate of 95.94%. This was a 0.5% improvement over the prior year. Now, you may think to yourself, "That's not much of an improvement." However, across a student body of 4,171 and a 180-day school year, that means student attendance improved by 3,750+ days. You may wonder, "What measurable difference does this make on student outcomes?" Well, when students are at school, it's reasonable to presume more learning will occur. And I am pleased to report that student performance on State Assessments did improve in '24-'25.

Another reason attendance matters is funding. Some don't like to hear this next piece; however, it simply is reality that most every resource our students experience at school requires a funding source, and attendance is the primary driver of State funding for our schools. When students are absent, both excused and unexcused, then students don't receive the benefit of your dollars that you pay to the State of California.

Please do not misunderstand my message. Of course students should not be at school when they are ill, and sometimes there are important family reasons a student must be absent. We can all agree there are legitimate reasons to miss some number of school days each year. That being said, the more students are at school, the better we can resource their experiences.

This being the case, I am pleased to share that the 0.5% increase in average daily attendance for '24-'25 has resulted in $240,000 more dollars being available to provide resources to students. If you read my last district-wide communication, then you know that a period of funding challenges is quickly coming upon most public schools in California. We are all looking for solutions to maintain programs and services. One of the easiest ways to support funding for schools is to make certain students are present as much as reasonably possible.

For many years, average daily attendance in Buckeye Union was close to 96.5%. Getting back to this point would mean another 0.5% increase in student attendance and another $200,000+ for our students.

Can we do this?

Sincerely,

David Roth, Ph.D.

Superintendent

Buckeye Union School District

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