Pyramid Hill light show preparation
.jpg)
Lakota West vs. Anderson
Sculpture donated in Hamilton
Dayton Daily News education reporter Scott Elliott writes about schools, kids, teaching and learning.
Home > Blogs > Get on the Bus > Archives > 2008 > August > 11 > Entry
DPS attendance very low at some high schools
(Junior Latoya Allen, left, and freshman Katherine Gaile, right, wait for the RTA bus to pick them up after school in front of Stivers School of the Arts.)
There weren’t too many problems getting kids to school Monday, even without district-paid bus service.
But the question is how many kids stayed home?
Initial attendance figures for city high schools ranged from good to bleak. Based on the number of students on the books as enrolled compared to those who actually came to school, attendance was solid at Stivers School for the Arts (93 percent) and Patterson Career Center (87 percent) but well off the pace at Meadowdale (67 percent) and Belmont (67 percent).
School officials cautioned that first day enrollment is often a hazy figure, as the district has not accounted yet for all transfers and other changes from the prior year. The district did not have last year’s first day attendance for comparison.
Mark Donaghy, executive director of the Dayton Regional Transit Authority, said RTA officials suspected low attendance contributed to fewer than expected problems.
“It matches the attendance at the schools,” he said.
Interim Superintendent Kurt Stanic said he has asked his staff to compare attendance with last year’s first day of school. School officials need to study why attendance was high at some schools and low at others, he said.
“It’s not unusual for urban school populations to gradually increase right up until Labor Day,” he said. “But no matter what it was last year, I’d like it to be higher.”
Stivers School for the Arts senior Megan Hegner said she walked to her friend Brittny McNabb’s Old North Dayton house for a ride to school. At dismissal, the two waited for the No. 2 bus on Fifth Street for a ride downtown where they could get a bus home.
“I have to scrounge money for the bus,” Hegner said.
The two said they may start walking home from Stivers, but are worried about getting to school as they year goes on.
“We’ll be out there freezing in the winter,” McNabb said.
First Day of School Attendance
School district high school attendance Monday was:
Meadowdale 67 percent
Belmont 67 percent
Thurgood Marshall 81 percent
Dunbar 81 percent
Patterson 87 percent
Stivers 93 percent
(Image credit: Teesha McClam, DDN)
Permalink | Comments (14) | Post your comment | Categories: Dayton Public Schools
Comments
By We Know Better!
September 27, 2008 1:26 AM | Link to this
I always vote no on all school levys. They keep taxing the homeowner. Why not tax somebody else, like a shopper with a sales tax? The Ohio Supreme Court has ruled the funding system unconstitutional 3 times! When will they learn?By Concerned Mom of 3
August 16, 2008 9:05 PM | Link to this
Old Prof and Anon make some valid points about the need for DPS to force the issue of neighborhood schools… I think the idea of “school choice” emerged as a result of the court ordered bussing mandate. Dayton took too long to eliminate the bussing order- and now everybody expects school choice… Now that the court order has been lifted and the district is in financial crisis, it seems like a good time to require students to attend the school closest to their home. If a parent wants to have a different choice, they could have that option, but they would also have to provide the transportation themselves.By anon
August 15, 2008 11:22 AM | Link to this
In englewood students go to the nearest elementary and if you live 1 mile or less away you WALK to school…novel I know. I have been walking to school with my son since Kindergarten-its not that hard. Also with parents whining about the no busing…I work my schedule AROUND my childs…that was the most important criteria when I was looking for work…so I dont understand why everyone is saying its so “impossible” to figure out how to get their kids to school now-put your child first and figure out the rest later. But I keep forgetting…kids never seem to be the priority in Dayton.By Worried DPS Parent
August 14, 2008 9:56 PM | Link to this
OldProf - You are so right. My hometown in Wales has a population of around 50k (probably closer to 40k when I was a lad) and there are /at least/ a dozen Elementary level schools in the town. Not only is it ridiculous that the nearest school is best part of ten minutes drive away, (I walked plenty in the UK, but schools etc. here seem to be so spaced out and sprawling), but that there are waiting list for school is just silly. To carry things on the three Comprehensive schools (an all girls, an all boys and a co-ed Catholic school) were all generalist in their teachings to, as in the British system, the choice is down to the student, as to what subjects are studied to qualification as preparation for moving into HE.By Scott Elliott
August 14, 2008 9:48 PM | Link to this
In most suburban districts, students are assigned to the school closest to their home. Some do have a transfer process, but most kids attend the nearest school. Dayton’s school choice program is unique even before you get to charter schools and vouchers. It grew out of the district’s integration efforts. On your other question, there are other local districts that do not bus to their high schools. I think if any area district had high school busing and dropped it that would be a news story.By Teacher and Taxpayer
August 14, 2008 8:46 PM | Link to this
I’m curious, Scott—do other area districts allow the same kind of choice that Dayton allows? If you are a resident of, say, Kettering, can parents choose the school their children attend, or are children simply assigned to the school in their neighborhood? Also, how many other area districts have abolished high school busing (which is not required by the state) without the headlines engendered by the Dayton school decision?By Oldprof
August 14, 2008 9:36 AM | Link to this
Let’s fix the problem long-term. Currently we pursue school ‘choice’ and require the district to bus K-6 students from everywhere to everywhere. But K-6 education should be fundamental and almost completely uniform; specialized programs and curricula should start in higher grades. So close all those ‘choice’ schools, enrolled all K-6 students in their nearest public elementary school, and get them walking. That not only saves $millions in transportation costs, but it reduces childhood obesity. Then there’s plenty of resources left to transport grades 7-12, the grades that do need some specialized curriculum. And a word to all the parents who want ‘choice’: you’ll have the same choice MY parents had—pay for a private school, home-school, or work to make your public system better instead of defecting to your self-centered isolationist experiment. School ‘choice’ is WASTEFUL, it HARMS COMMUNITIES, and it FAILS STUDENTS.By deb
August 12, 2008 6:20 PM | Link to this
Thurgood and Dunbar are also difficult to get to on the RTA….Patterson and Stivers have great parental involvement…that also will account for the high attendance rate….Belmont’s attendance rate is always the lowest of the 5 high schools, so it’s rate doesn’t surprise me at all. Meadowdale’s rate does surprise me…By cj
August 12, 2008 6:02 PM | Link to this
This is a good example of why the levy is so important to a sucessful school. It takes money to educate a child without extra funds transportation suffers. Vote yesBy Lea
August 12, 2008 10:59 AM | Link to this
School fees in Beavercreek are a punch in the gut and so are my property taxes but they’re more than worth the quality education my kids are getting. Some people in the Dayton school district can’t afford what I can. Why punish their children? If children stay in school they are less likely to be troublemakers. Every district has some issues but DPS needs to figure this one out before we end up with a full third of the kids from a couple of those schools on welfare forever. That I mind paying, if a person can’t be bothered I wonder why I should pay for them. If they are trying I have no problem helping.By null
August 12, 2008 10:57 AM | Link to this
I wonder if there is a correlation between the attendance numbers[per school] and dropout or graduation rates.By Former DPS Administrator
August 12, 2008 10:50 AM | Link to this
The answer to Mr. Stanic’s question as to why some High School attendance was higher than others is simple. Both the Career Academy and Stivers are located downtown and no matter where RTA drops the students off they can easily walk to either school. As for Belmont and Meadowdale thy are on the opposite ends of town and require the students to transfer bus routes to get to these schools unless there is a direct route that I am unaware of. Lack of funds may hamper some families and they just don’t have the money for transportation. Look at the poverty rate in Dayton and I am sure that this is a major reason why parents cannot afford to pay for transportation. I cannot understand why data is not available for last years opening. As a former administrator we were required to submit data daily for the first ten days of school at the beginning of the school year and that data was collected by the student registration office. Some one has dropped the ball. If this issued is not resolved before the first count week, DPS will lose substantial amounts of revenue. There has to be an answer and solution to this problem. If attendance is bad now, wait until bad weather hits.By Concerned Mom of 3
August 12, 2008 1:48 AM | Link to this
Fascinated- I am as much for resolving the problem of disruptive students interfering with my children’s learning as the next person, but I fail to share your point of view about the trouble makers staying out of school being a good thing. In the long run, our “good kids” are going to end up paying the price for the “trouble makers” who didn’t bother to finish their education. Those “trouble makers” will end up living on the system, and our “good kids” will end up footing the bill with the taxes. How is that a good thing? I challenge you to think beyond the here and now…By Fascinated
August 11, 2008 8:45 PM | Link to this
Good! Maybe this is what it takes to get rid of all the trouble makers that don’t really want to be at school anyway! The kids and families that want to be involved in the educational process will find a way to make it happen. This may turn out to be the best year yet!