Nearly 12% of Sac City students chronically absent, UC Davis study finds
lkalb@sacbee.com
PUBLISHED SUNDAY, APR. 28, 2013
 |
"Poverty proved to be a major facet of the problem." |
Thousands of Sacramento City Unified School District students consistently fail to take the most basic step toward learning at school – showing up for class.
A sobering report on chronically high absenteeism in the district found 11.7 percent of the students miss at least one out of every 10 school days.
In all, 5,020 Sacramento City Unified students fit the definition of chronically absent, meaning that they miss at least 10 percent of the school year. In some schools, severe absenteeism can exceed 20 percent, according to the analysis of 2010-11 attendance conducted by the UC Davis Center for Regional Change.
That's more than enough time away from campus to hamper students' education. And it translates to a $3.1 million annual cost in attendance-based student funding – or enough to fund 50 teachers.
UC Davis researchers expect to repeat their work for two subsequent years. And the groundwork is being set this year to engage community groups and others in a broad effort to better recognize at-risk students and help keep them in school.
School board President Jeff Cuneo said he was gratified that the district is looking at the issue.
"Obviously, when kids miss 10 percent or more of school every year, they are more likely to fall out of the system," Cuneo said. "I thought it was a solid first step and a beginning for