What a difference the drop in attendance in Buffalo schools from 2005 to 2006, after district laid-off the attendance officers!

    They blame the low attendance rates in the Buffalo schools to the attendance policy Williams scraped, but few relate it to the lay off of the district attendance officers in 2005. Buffalo News blogger, Mary Pasciak cited today a story appearing in the News in 2006 after former superintendent James had abolished the old attendance policy. Yet without attendance officers how could it have been enforced? So, what did he do? Williams abolished both the attendance policy and the attendance officers. That's the root of this current attendance problem in the district, but there's still the issue of back pay for the wrongfully laid off attendance teachers. So, it has become the elephants in the room. "The problem is hardly confined to Lafayette. For the attendance period that ended March 31, 12 of 13 city high schools had lower attendance rates than they did during the corresponding period last school year.     In many cases, the drop was severe. Riverside's rate fell from 78.5 to 67 percent; Seneca's from 82.2 to 74.5 percent; East's from 81 to 77.3 percent; and Lafayette's from 83.8 to 78.6 percent. School officials say attendance rates of less than 90 percent are unacceptable. "    

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