![El Tejon Unified School District Superintendent Rodney Wallace speaks about Saturday School and other ideas to help ETUSD regain badly needed revenue so the district can bring back all their present teachers for the next school year. See the following image for a look at the trend lines for enrollment and ADA. [photo by Patric Hedlund]](https://mountainenterprise.com/wp-content/uploads/WallaceJan2014-324x287.jpg)
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El Tejon Unified School District Superintendent Rodney Wallace speaks about Saturday School and other ideas to help ETUSD regain badly needed revenue so the district can bring back all their present teachers for the next school year. See the following image for a look at the trend lines for enrollment and ADA. [photo by Patric Hedlund]
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These trend lines were shown to ETUSD trustees by Steve Mattern, director of district financial services for the Kern County Superintendent of Schools office. It shows declining enrollment from 2006-07 to 2013-14, with the ADA (average daily attendance) lower. The ADA is what the state uses to allocate payments to the schools for educating students. Click on the image to enlarge.
At the March 2014 meeting of the El Tejon Unified School District board, Superintendent Rodney Wallace (right) referred to this trendline (image two, right) of ETUSD’s enrollment and ADA. It was shown to ETUSD trustees by Steve Mattern, director of district financial services for the Kern County Superintendent of School’s office.
El Tejon Unified School District Superintendent Rodney Wallace answers your questions
Q: What is the ballpark estimate of the amount of money that has been lost to the school district this year because of student absences?
A: This answer is a little complicated. Using an approximation of 780 student enrollment, if the district had 100% average daily attendance (ADA) the funding for that day would be approximately $24,180 per day. If the district could reach the goal of about 95% ADA, the funding would be for about 741 students for approximately $22,971 per day. Currently the district’s ADA is about 90%, which earns funding for about 702 students, or approximately $21,731 per day. If we use the goal of 95%, then we are losing $1,240 per day. At the end of this week, April 4, the district will have completed 156 instructional days. If we multiply 156 times $1,240 it shows the lost revenue so far of about $193,440. [That will be a $223,200 loss for the year.—Editor]
See a parent’s OpEd about the loss to the schools and what parents can do about it.
Image caption
ETUSD trend line shows Enrollment and ADA (bottom line) from 2006-07 to 2013-14.
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This is part of the April 4, 2014 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.
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