Kids miss out on learning if they are not in school and can’t benefit from the educational reforms we seek. They also miss out on support such as counseling, tutoring, and Special Education services.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, I was witness to my own kids’ struggles, sadness, and frustration with not being in school. Parents shared stories and strategies to navigate this trauma and try to get the District to listen to our concerns and reopen our schools. Our communities also learned how deeply the prolonged closures affected students, especially those from underserved communities. 

My advocacy during this time brought me into close contact with parents, teachers, and education advocates throughout the city, and I started to learn about chronic absenteeism and tardiness in our school system as well. I also started to learn about systemic barriers to school attendance, such as transportation, safety, and housing instability. These experiences shaped my understanding of the complex factors that contribute to absenteeism and inform my commitment to improving attendance across SFUSD.

If elected, I will advocate for making attendance improvement a District-wide goal, equal in importance to 3rd-grade literacy, 8th-grade math, and college/career readiness. Boosting attendance is one of the most effective ways to ensure that SFUSD meets its academic goals. By reducing absences and tardiness, we can improve outcomes in critical areas such as literacy and math while better preparing students for college and careers. I will propose a multi-tiered attendance improvement program that addresses the root causes of absenteeism, with an emphasis on partnerships with city agencies like MUNI, the Department of Early Childhood, the Library system, and the Housing Authority. This collaborative approach will tackle obstacles like transportation, housing instability, and safety concerns, helping students attend school consistently.

Improving attendance requires a community-wide effort and strong commitment from the School District. SFUSD should launch a comprehensive engagement campaign to understand the barriers students face and work with families to support regular attendance. Prioritizing social-emotional support, staffing wellness centers, and ensuring access to resources such as school meals and early childhood education will help address absenteeism. By making attendance a District-wide goal, SFUSD can better support students and build trust with families.

Early education and targeted interventions play a critical role in setting students up for long-term success and improving attendance. Addressing basic needs, preventing stress, and closing equity gaps all help reduce chronic absenteeism. Key components of this strategy include:

• Early Education: Universal pre-kindergarten, transitional kindergarten, and childhood special education assessments lay the foundation for success.

• Literacy: Universal reading assessments in early grades uncover challenges, allowing targeted interventions to address them.

• Social-Emotional Support: Access to wellness centers, social workers, and nurses at every school is vital for reducing absenteeism.

• Instructional Interventions: Small group instruction and specialized reading support should be integrated during the school day to ensure equitable access.

• Family Engagement: Schools should provide coaching and resources to help parents support learning at home.

• Universal Meals Program: All students should have access to free meals, as hunger directly impacts attendance and learning.

• Active Movement: Physical activity through recess, physical education, and active classroom routines supports developmental needs and reduces absenteeism.

By focusing on attendance, we can improve student outcomes while increasing revenue for SFUSD through higher Average Daily Attendance (ADA). Improving attendance not only benefits individual students but also strengthens the District financially, providing more resources to meet the needs of all students.