St. Joseph School District officials hosted a back-to-school news conference on Wednesday to answer questions of public interest. The panel consisted of Superintendent Gabe Edgar; Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Brian Kraus; Assistant Superintendent of Academic and Education Services Ashly McGinnis and Director of Nonacademic Services Shannon Nolte.
One of the first main points the district addressed was attendance. “For 2022, we had 70.6%.
We ended 2023 at 78.91%. And then this past year we ended at 77.
56%. So just a slight dip,” McGinnis said. Because of this, the district will reconsider their approach.
In recent years, the attendance budget for each school building was $8 per student which has now decreased to $6. Last year, St. Joseph used incentives like bikes, gift cards and electronics to promote good attendance.
However, research shows those incentives lose their luster after only a year. “We need parents to get kids to school, right? Not kids getting themselves in school. So we have to engage our families in that process and help them see the value in education,” said McGinnis.
With a goal of 90% attendance at all buildings, McGinnis said high school is the biggest challenge with eighth grade and kindergarten falling shortly behind. “Lafayette Carden Park, Lindbergh are our three lowest schools,” she said. However, on the opposite end of the spectrum, graduation rates are gradually increasing.
“So 2022 we ended at 77.6%. 2023, we ended at 7.