Why Tuesday is so important

On Friday, District 271 Trustee Dave Eubanks will make a strong argument for the academic urgency behind parents ensuring their kids are in school starting Day 1.

Today we're going to look at some of the fiscal benefits.

From next Tuesday through the first Friday of November, each district will receive state funding according to its ADA - Average Daily Attendance. That generates a full 75 percent of a district's funding, according to Matt Handelman, superintendent of District 271. The other 25 percent comes from a district's "28 best weeks" of attendance, which can overlap with the initial 10-week period.

"The state doesn't generate any more funding, but our 'slice of the pie' gets a little bigger the better our attendance is, especially for that first reporting period," Handelman said.

Please note that we're not talking about enrollment - the number of students who signed up to attend school. The state funds schools on actual students in seats, not the number who said they would be there.

For immediate funding purposes, it's also important for districts to have accurate student counts from the get-go. If attendance is up from the first three days of last school year, Handelman said, the school board can quickly generate enough extra funding to meet the needs of the additional students - things like textbooks and desks. But if those kids aren't in school right away, the district will essentially be forced to accommodate them without any additional funding.

What does all this mean to you as parents and taxpayers? Plenty. By ensuring your kids or grandkids are in school every single day starting next Tuesday, you'll assure the most equitable distribution of millions of dollars of state funding, in essence getting your district all the support it's entitled to. And that's fair, because a hefty hunk of these dollars are from your own pocket.

But when we're talking about fiscal impact, none is greater than the long-term results of giving our kids the best education possible. That starts with attendance, and it ends with our kids finding great jobs and maximizing their earning potential.

On the flip-side, students who miss class, who get into bad habits from the very beginning, are most likely to drop out of school or miss potential career ladders. Rather than building the tax base and boosting the economy, they can become drains instead.

Take it away, Dave.