There may be a fine line between student truancy and some claims of “home schooling,” the Winn Parish School Board heard at its September meeting as they adopted a resolution naming this as “Attendance Awareness Month.” Their goal is to maximize a student’s classroom time for their educational benefit.
It’s not just a numbers game. The resolution indicates that if chronically absent students miss 10% or more of their academic instruction, they are more likely to require additional support and resources to reach their learning goals. The term cited “achievement gap” is cited. For learning best to take place requires cooperation of students, families, schools and communities.
Supt. Alfred Simmons said central office staff has met with the Sheriff’s Office and FINS (Families in Need of Services) in the District Judge’s Office on problems related to tracking absenteeism. One key, he stressed, is for parents to ensure they have given current contact information to the school their child attends.
”If the parent has supplied accurate information to the school, they will be notified if their child is absent or tardy as well as if issues arise with grades.” Often the parent is unaware that these problems exist. He said this contact priority would be emphasized at an upcoming principals meeting.
In that same session, the board approved millage tax rates to be applied to the 2024 rolls. Parishwide numbers are Constitutional Tax 4.93 mills, Additional Aid Tax 7.57 mills and Parishwide Maintenance Tax 9.25 mills. Also there is the Winnfield District No. 5 Maintenance Tax 3.12 and the Consolidated District No. 11 Maintenance Tax 3.44 mills. The Sinking Fund for Consolidated District No. 11 is 15 mills.
The board also agreed to continue with LARMA (Louisiana Public Schools Rick Management Agency) on a varied package of insurance coverage (not including property), following a presentation by Joe Montgomery for McGriff Insurance Services. Including a range such as liability, cyber, legal, auto, harassment and crime limits, the cost will be $126,312.
Montgomery said this represents an increase of about 10% compared to last year’s $114,359 which he admitted “is a large amount but in today’s market, that’s not bad.” He said the agency had inquired with other insurers but concluded that LARMA with over 30 school districts in the state has better buying power than others in the insurance market.