School board backs up on attendance policy

In response to concerns from district stakeholders, La Cañada Unified officials dialed down Tuesday parts of recently revised attendance guidelines — labeled “Draconian” by some — that recommended athletes and students with family obligations not be allowed to make up missed class assignments.

During their regular meeting Tuesday, school board members also heard Supt. Wendy Sinnette’s new goals for the upcoming school year, some of which were crafted in response to issues raised by the school community regarding elementary school assistant principals, later start times at La Cañada High School and the efficacy of teachers on special assignment.

In her superintendent’s remarks, Sinnette provided some background for recent revisions to the district’s attendance policy communicated to parents at the beginning of the school year. The new language suggested absences related to club sports, family vacations or sibling-related responsibilities would be categorized as “unexcused,” intimating students could be exposed to associated penalties.

She said that while LCUSD’s average daily attendance rates were stellar — more than 97% compared to a statewide average of 94.49% among unified school districts — absences were contributing to noticeable funding losses.

“In the second semester of last year, a less than 1% dip in attendance over a short period of time cost the district almost $200,000 in funding,” Sinnette said Tuesday.

According to district figures, LCUSD receives $41.09 from the state for each day a student is in school, amounting to a per-pupil funding rate of $7,437 each year.

Sinnette said the revised attendance guidelines furthermore included a recommendation teachers not offer opportunities for students to make up assignments for unexcused absences. After parents spoke out against the revisions at an Aug. 16 board meeting, calling the new rules Draconian and unfair to families, Sinnette and administrators reconvened and decided to modify some of the recommendations.

An announcement highlighting the adjustments was made public and sent out to parents last Thursday, and is available in the “News” section of the district’s website at lcusd.net.

Now, absences related to club sports events and family or sibling responsibilities will be categorized with the attendance code “W,” meaning it will be up to a school administrator to determine whether the personal reasons for the absence provided by students and parents should be considered excused or unexcused. Those administrators will keep a list of all absences with the “W” designation through the year.

Sinnette said she and administrators also reconsidered the recommendation that teachers should not allow makeup work for students with unexcused absences.

“We thought that recommendation did have a little bit of a Draconian lilt to it,” the superintendent said.

Instead, the new modifications to the attendance policy specify it will be be up to teachers to decide whether or not to let a student with an unexcused absence make up missed assignments. Education code already requires make-up work to be offered to students whose absences are excused.

Lastly, Sinnette promised the district would work with school attendance clerks to ensure absences were noted and coded correctly. The new higher level of accountability comes as the state Department of Education considers how to factor in issues such as attendance, discipline and graduation rates into its evaluation of school district performance.

“School accountability has moved from test scores to the comprehensive nature of education,” Lindi Dreibelbis, LCUSD’s director of assessment and research, said Wednesday. “And attendance is one of those factors of whether or not students are getting a quality education.”

New year, new goals

Outlining her superintendent’s goals for the new school year, Sinnette revealed several new committees and programs that will be formed to improve service delivery and also address issues brought to the district’s attention by parent groups and its teacher’s union.

The superintendent highlighted nine objectives she aims to tackle head on, providing information on how each goal aligns with the district’s Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) and it’s own “Big Four” goals — instruction, support, climate and technology.

Her plan is available online by visiting lcusd.net and searching for “superintendent’s goals” at the top right.

Among the tasks dictated by the new goals is the formation of a Superintendent’s Representative Council to collect feedback on LCUSD initiatives, programs and challenges and the creation of a committee designed to revamp the district’s annual Panorama Ed Survey.

Sinnette also called for full review of the district’s extra duty, extra pay positions, to see where efficiencies can be made. She said the matter was brought up during negotiations with teachers over salary increases, and was determined to be in need of revising.

Similarly, the superintendent expressed a desire to form a committee that would help gauge parent interest in pursuing the feasibility of later start times at La Cañada High School. The matter was brought up in 2014 by a parent who provided research stating teens’ brains benefited when start times were pushed back to 8:30 a.m.

“It’s always exciting at the advent of the new year to look at where we want to focus our energies and interests,” Sinnette said in her presentation Tuesday.

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Sara Cardine, sara.cardine@latimes.com

Twitter: @SaraCardine