Dario Gomez is a lively freshman at Madera South High School — and very focused. He has not been tardy or absent from a single period since the school year started. On Friday, he and 29 other Stallions with the same track record were recognized by school staff.
The Stallion Perfection program, started last year, rewards students who are not late or absent from any class period during an entire semester, which means they do not reduce the school’s funding, said Martin Urias, the family liaison. A third component of the program requires students to have a clean disciplinary record, he said.
One way California’s public schools receive funding is determined by student attendance. Average Daily Attendance (ADA) is calculated by dividing the total number of days a student attends by the number of days school is taught to come up with a percentage that designates how much ADA money districts receive per child.
There are nearly 2,700 students enrolled in Madera South High School, including those who are part of Madera County Office of Education but attend classes on the Stallion campus. Nearly half of the 30 recognized for their perfect fall semester attendance were MCOE students...