San Jose

Student absences on ‘Day Without Immigrants' cost schools state funding

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Tens of thousands of students across the country stayed home on Monday to protest immigration enforcement action as part of "Day Without Immigrants" demonstrations, resulting in some collateral damage for schools.

Some state funding is tied to attendance rates.

In San Jose's Franklin-McKinley School District, 1,611 students were out Monday – well above the district's average sick rate. Those absences mean the cash-strapped district, which is debating school closures, lost roughly $128,000 in state funding.

In the nearby Alum Rock Union School District, the numbers were even worse. About 2,900 students were out, adding up to a loss of roughly $250,000 in state funding.

"Any day that a student is not in school, that takes money away from school districts," Silicon Valley Education Foundation CEO Dr. Lisa Andrew said.

The Silicon Valley Education Foundation said the state is working to change the school funding formula from average daily attendance to simple overall enrollment numbers.

Alum Rock said it's also worried about the lost class time. On Monday, the district estimated the absent students accounted for 890,000 minutes of lost instructional time.

"When kids are in school, we aim to provide historical context and academic preparation for them to be future leaders," Alum Rock Union School District Assistant Superintendent Sandra Garcia said. "When they’re not in school, they miss that."

Garcia said there’s also concern about some children who were left at home alone and others not getting daily school meals.

The education foundation sees that concern but said students learned an important civics lesson on Monday – a hands-on lesson that can't be taught in the classroom.

"Sometimes the best classroom is not in the four walls of school but out with parents, out with others learning about what it means to be an active citizen," Andrew said.

Parent Christina Garcia agreed, saying her children learned how to stand up for what they believe in, even if it came at a cost.

"It’s a small price to pay for a bigger cause," she said.

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