Data capture for incentives this year
Sulphur Bluff ISD’s enrollment is still trending lower than expected, and that could potentially lead to a funding loss if the trend continues, superintendent Dustin Carr said at their school board last Thursday.
“Our attendance rate is 93%. Usually we’re around 97, 98%,” Carr said, adding “Again, that enrollment is kind of scary. You’re taking about an eighth off what we would normally get, so that’s about $200,000.”
Carr said he does not expect the average daily attendance (ADA) will sink that low, and the district was recently approved for online instruction, which could help account for students quarantining. Though he could not confirm, Carr imagined other districts are struggling with attendance this year.
“Is it because of COVID?” asked member Brian Dorner.
“It’s a little bit of everything, I guess,” answered Carr. “We’ve not accepted as many transfers, I don’t think, in the past couple of years.”
The district’s teacher incentive allotment (TIA) is moving forward, Carr said, and this year is the data capture year for teachers. The TIA was created by HB3 in 2019 with a “stated goal of a six-figure salary for teachers who prioritize teaching in high needs areas and rural district campuses,” according to the Texas Education Agency.
After data capture, it will be checked throughout the 2022-2023 school year before being approved. Teachers should start to see their allotments in August 2023, Carr said, and “it could range anywhere from about $3-4,000 to $18-19,000,” he added.
In other report items, the number of students deemed college or career ready is higher this year, meaning they have either taken three college hours of math or English or have earned an industry-based certification.
“They’re knocking it out of the park already,” Carr said. “We’ve got 67% of those kids college ready…, and we have 80% on the career ready side.”