By Talia Gerard
Opinion Editor
Costa relies on money from the state for its operating budget; however, the school loses $35 for each unexcused student absence. This rule is unjust as Costa is not at fault if a student is absent and should not be fiscally punished for this uncontrolled situation.
Every year, the state gives public schools money based on a number of factors, including attendance. If a student misses an unexcused day of school, the state deducts funding based on how many periods the student misses.
According to San Diego’s public radio station KPBS, in 2011 various school districts such as Lincoln High and Ramona Unified in San Diego lost over $1 million due to student absences. A sophomore at Lincoln High School missed 87 days of school, which resulted in a $2,464.71 loss for the school. Another school district, Ramona Unified, lost $355,566.77 due to 473 chronically absent students. This penalty is unfair as the district has limited control over students’ decisions to attend school.
Even if a student misses a day of school, all of the components that go into teaching the rest of the student body are still available. Teachers come to school to teach the other children, and the district has to deal with the same expenses regardless. Therefore, absence-related deductions are counterproductive.
According to Vice Principal Jaime Mancilla, the money the school earns from the state goes into a restricted general fund used to pay teacher salaries, and when a school loses money from this fund due to students’ absences, the loss can directly impact the staff’s salaries and, by extension, the educational environment of the students.
Therefore, the Manhattan Beach Unified School District encourages parents to reimburse the district for the lost funds if their student misses a day of school and does not officially excuse the absence. However, this is also not a reasonable solution because it is illegal to charge for education to students that attend public schools. However, if an excessive amount of students continue to be truant, the state should determine a limit of absences and have the right to deduct money from the school to discourage future absences if the amount of students does not diminish.
According to California’s Department of Education, the state justifies the fact that it is taking money away from the school by affirming that students could be participating in illicit activities while truant. Officials believe the city and the students would be safer with higher school attendance. However, it is not a fair assumption because many students that have unexcused absences are missing school for reasons other than criminal purposes.
If a student misses a day of school and does not excuse his absence, it should not result in a damaging financial penalty for the school or district. However, if a massive amount of students are continually absent for unexcused reasons, the state should be able to deduct money from the school. The school district should not be negatively impacted by one student’s absences.
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