Recent School Absenteeism to Have No Financial Effect

A little-known concession to spring fever and senioritis protects Los Angeles schools from any financial harm related to a recent surge in absenteeism at a few campuses, a state official said Tuesday.

Because so many absences occur as the weather warms up and the school year winds down, the state no longer counts the last half of April, May and June in its average daily attendance rate, said Sandra Silva, a fiscal consultant for the state Department of Education.

“It’s designed that way,” she said. “The highest number of absences occur after April 15, so the state didn’t want to penalize districts. The concerns were for nothing.”

Los Angeles Unified School District officials said last week they were concerned about high rates of absenteeism at campuses where rumors of potential violence circulated in the wake of the Littleton, Colo., school massacre. Officials said they were considering applying for emergency funding from the state, as is done after an earthquake or other event that might cause a high rate of absenteeism.

In fact, officials said Tuesday that high school attendance rates in the district are actually slightly higher this year compared with April and May last year.

A week ago, more than half of the students at Chatsworth High School stayed home because of rumored threats of violence. Districtwide, however, 10,323 high school students were absent May 5, compared with 13,357 a year ago.

Silva said it is understandable that top school officials, even some in the district’s budget office, were unaware that the state does not count days after April 15.

Before mid-April, the district receives about $21.33 per pupil for every day that a student attends school. The figure is based on actual attendance.