ACUSD School Board Celebrates New Year

Starting off the school year on positive notes, the Amador County Unified School District’s regular board meeting Wednesday night focused on personnel updates and attendance reviews from last year. Staffing for the district saw 32 new hires for the school year with 11 teacher position openings and 12 classified employees. Four bus driver positions remain to be filled, but the transportation department was celebrated for their ability to offer daily route coverage instead of the staggered schedule of the previous year. The attendance review of the previous school year showed transportation issues accounted for only 4.7% of absences, well below what was expected. Illness and unexcused absences remained in the top tier with 39% and 33% respectively.  Numbers showed Fridays overall were the most missed day along with Mondays following a holiday break. Assistant Superintendent Patricia Horn shared positive news that chronic absenteeism was down 4.6% and credited the district’s digital notification campaign to inform parents of the importance of attendance. In her comments at the close of the meeting, Board President Kayla Parker shared she would not be seeking re-election in November due to the changing needs of her family.