Submitted to the New Jersey Senate Education Committee
January 30, 2025

Dear Senator Vin Gopal, Chairperson,
Senator Shirley K. Turner, Vice Chairperson, and Honorable Members of the Committee,

We appreciate the opportunity to submit this written testimony on the pressing issue of chronic absenteeism and the importance of collaboration between schools, districts, and community organizations in addressing it.

Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of the school year — has risen significantly in New Jersey, particularly in Mercer County’s urban and suburban districts, including Trenton, Hamilton, Lawrence, and Princeton. Many students face barriers beyond their control, such as:

  • Housing and food insecurity
  • Transportation challenges
  • Mental health and social-emotional struggles
  • Limited access to healthcare
  • Responsibilities at home, such as caring for younger siblings or helping with household needs

These challenges do not disappear at the end of the school day or during summer break. To be effective, solutions must ensure that students and families receive consistent support throughout the year.

Mercer County’s Multi-District, Multi-Nonprofit Approach

Since 2018, the All Kids Thrive initiative, led by the Princeton Area Community Foundation, has supported attendance-focused interventions through partnerships with school districts, nonprofit organizations, and community leaders. This collaborative model has highlighted several key strategies that help address chronic absenteeism:

  1. Cross-District Collaboration Strengthens Responses—By working together, districts can share resources, strategies, and data to better understand and address attendance barriers.
  2. Community Organizations Extend School Capacity – Schools alone cannot address all the underlying issues contributing to absenteeism. Partnerships with housing agencies, mental health providers, and family support organizations have played a crucial role in ensuring students receive the help they need.
  3. Holistic Interventions Yield Better Outcomes – When efforts focus on addressing root causes, such as family instability or lack of transportation, students are more likely to re-engage with school and develop consistent attendance habits.
  4. Engaging Families is Essential – Strengthening relationships between schools and families helps build trust and create a support system that encourages student attendance.

Community Schools: An Opportunity to Build on These Lessons

The community schools model aligns well with the lessons learned from Mercer County’s efforts by providing schools with integrated student and family support, including:

✅ On-site healthcare and mental health counseling
✅ Expanded learning opportunities and tutoring
✅ Family engagement and social services
✅ Stronger partnerships with local organizations

These supports help students not only during school hours but also by ensuring that families have access to essential resources beyond the classroom and throughout the year. Expanding access to community school strategies in districts facing high absenteeism rates could help ensure students and families receive the support they need to stay engaged in school.

Policy Recommendations

Based on these experiences, we encourage the committee to:

  1. Support Funding for Community-Based Attendance Initiatives – Invest in programs that strengthen school-nonprofit partnerships to address the barriers that prevent students from attending school.
  2. Encourage Regional Collaboration – Provide opportunities for districts to work together in tackling chronic absenteeism, recognizing that student challenges often extend beyond individual schools.
  3. Expand Access to Wraparound Services—Ensure schools in high-need areas have access to family engagement specialists, mental health services, and community partnerships to help students overcome attendance challenges.
  4. Foster Data Sharing and Best Practice Exchanges – Support efforts that allow districts and community organizations to share insights, evaluate interventions, and refine strategies for reducing absenteeism.

Mercer County’s experience highlights how cross-district and community partnerships can support student attendance and engagement. While challenges remain, investing in collaborative, community-based approaches — including expanding access to community school resources — could help ensure that more students across New Jersey receive the support they need to attend school and succeed.

Thank you for your time and commitment to addressing this critical issue.

Respectfully submitted,

Nelida Valentin, Vice President
Princeton Area Community Foundation
212 Carnegie Center, Suite 201
Princeton, NJ 08540
609.219.1800 Ext. 810
nvalentin@pacf.org

About the Princeton Area Community Foundation

Since its founding in 1991, the Community Foundation has made grants of more than $241 million and provided an additional $48 million in support to our nonprofit fundholders. With over 450 charitable funds, in 2024, the Community Foundation awarded more than $32 million in grants to support the critical work of nonprofits in making the communities they serve more responsive to the needs of their residents. Learn more at www.pacf.org.