Following the launch of its district-wide initiative, “Attend Today, Achieve Tomorrow,” the district has seen an 0.8% attendance increase, or approximately 700 more students, in classrooms each day, which officials say will bring in an additional $5 million state funding if the rates are maintained.
“This isn’t about finances and money,” Assistant Superintendent of Finance Jamey Hynds said at the July 28 board meeting. “It means that more kids are in class every day, and that’s what we’re working toward."
The background
Launched in 2023-24, the program was created to address post-COVID attendance declines, recognizing the strong link between attendance and academic success, said Emily Craig, assistant superintendent school leadership and support.
"We know that when students are not in the classroom every day, they are missing classes compounded with academic achievement loss,” she said. “The best thing we can do to help student achievement is make sure kids are in the seats.”
Hynds said the district achieved 0.6% attendance growth in the 2023-24 school year, surpassing the goal set for 0.5% growth, Community Impact reported. For the 2024-25 school year, attendance grew by an additional 0.2%, Hynds said.
What was done?
Each campus receives an Average Daily Attendance, or ADA, Improvement Plan at the start of the year that outlines attendance goals based on historical data and includes a built-in incentive structure tied to progress, Hynds said.
The financial incentives for schools are distributed through campus budgets and are used to fund attendance-related rewards, ranging from school-wide events to classroom-level recognitions, he said. Over the last two years, Hynds said the district has distributed $2.75 million in incentives directly to campuses.
Zooming out
Since 2019, the Texas Education Agency has provided $6,160 per student based on average daily attendance. For the 2025-26 school year, that amount will rise to $6,215, following the $8.5 billion budget approved for the 2025-27 biennium by the 89th Texas Legislature. However, Chief Financial Officer Chris Smith said this does not reflect a true funding increase, as the state adjusted how much property tax revenue is retained locally rather than sent to the state.
Prior to the passage of House Bill 2, Superintendent Ken Gregorski urged legislators in May to adopt the version of the bill that would allow a $395 increase to the basic allotment, arguing that the $55 increase would fall “dangerously short” to the rising inflation and operating costs.
Moving forward
Beginning in the 2025-26 school year, campuses with already high attendance will be eligible for a new "maintenance incentive” for sustaining its rates, Hynds said.
