Chronic absenteeism rates countywide have continued to drop, signaling that programs designed to combat the crisis seem to be paying off, writes our Jakob McWhinney.
Before the pandemic, about 11 percent of students in San Diego County were chronically absent, in other words, they missed 10 percent or more of their school days. In the thick of Covid during the 2021-22 academic year, chronic absenteeism shot up to 30 percent.
San Diego Unified School District, the second largest in California, had slightly higher rates of absenteeism – 12 percent pre-pandemic and then 34 percent in the 2021-22 academic year.
Students suffered learning loss from years of virtual instruction but still weren’t showing up to class. And that also hurt school budgets, which are funded in part by attendance rates.
McWhinney explored programs at two San Diego Unified schools with high rates of absenteeism designed to make school more engaging and incentivize students to attend class by offering prizes. That seems to have helped, McWhinney says.
San Diego Unified’s absenteeism rate was about 22 percent in the most recent academic year, making a 12-point gain. The countywide average improved as well dropping to around 20 percent, about a 9-point gain.
National City Counting on Appointee to Fight Port ‘Oppression’
National City leaders allege that the Port of San Diego has “oppressed” the small South Bay city and they’re counting on their representative on the agency’s board to help them push back.
Earlier this week, the National City Council voted 3-2 to reappoint resident GilAnthony Ungab to the Port’s seven-member Board of Commissioners, which directs the agency overseeing 34 miles of waterfront businesses, freight operations and recreational uses.
Our Jim Hinch reports that some officials and residents in National City, one of the Port’s five member cities, argue that the Port has taken advantage of their community.
Councilmember Marcus Bush told Hinch the city is standing up against policies that disproportionately hurt National City’s low-income and non-White residents.
Port officials, meanwhile, counter that they value diverse perspectives and are pushing policies that will ultimately help the city and the region reduce pollution.
In Other Port News: City News Service reports that the Port has selected Carlsbad City Manager Scott Chadwick to serve as its next chief executive. Before taking the Carlsbad gig in 2018, Chadwick spent five years as the city of San Diego’s top bureaucrat.
Oceanside Mayor Increases Lead in Latest Vote Tally
Nearly three weeks since Election Day, the Oceanside mayor’s race continues – and incumbent Mayor Esther Sanchez is now leading by 173 votes.
Sanchez, a Democrat, increased her narrow lead over Republican City Councilmember Ryan Keim in the latest vote totals released late Thursday but the race remains too close to call.
For now, the vote-counting continues. The county Registrar of Voters is planning to provide its next update on 6 p.m. Nov. 27, the day before Thanksgiving.
Sanchez, who was initially trailing Keim, has been steadily gaining momentum. She holds a narrow lead according to updated election results, up by only 31 votes.
Meanwhile, in San Diego… As of late Thursday, the opposition to city sales-tax increase Measure E was more than 4,820 votes ahead. CBS 8 reports that city officials including Council President Sean Elo-Rivera are now starting to grapple with the tough city budget decisions that are likely ahead. The city had been counting on the one cent tax hike to close projected budget deficits the next several years and increase the city’s infrastructure investments, among other commitments.
In Other News
- Ahead of a wave of change at Encinitas City Hall, the city announced late Wednesday that its city manager had departed “amicably” – effective immediately. (Union-Tribune)
- Residents of a 64-unit apartment complex in Imperial Beach now facing eviction are imploring city leaders to step in with a new tenant protection law. (KPBS)
- Immigrant rights advocates renewed criticism of Mayor Todd Gloria for shutting the city’s office that supports immigrant communities after the re-election of Donald Trump as president who promised mass deportation. Gloria cut the office in June, blaming the city’s budget deficit. (KPBS)
- One of San Diego’s northern coastal city governments is running one person down on their city council after being unable to break a 2-2 tie on whether to fill a vacant seat by election or appointment. The city of Del Mar has a lot to deal with in the coming years, including crumbling coastal cliffs that hosts a key rail line between Los Angeles and San Diego. (Times of San Diego)
- Some leaders in Carlsbad want to build a solar power farm near the city’s reservoir. But these systems are often paired with battery storage – a key element in transitioning the state off fossil fuel power – and some fear the potential for fires at such a storage site. (Union-Tribune)
The Morning Report was written by MacKenzie Elmer, Jakob McWhinney and Lisa Halverstadt. It was edited by Andrea Lopez-Villafaña.