If kids are not in school, they can’t learn. Students who attend class more often do better in school, and students who are chronically absent—meaning they miss at least 15 days of school in a year—fall behind. Children who are chronically absent in kindergarten and first grade are much less likely to read at grade level by the third grade. And if students cannot read at grade level by the end of third grade, they are four times more likely to drop out of high school.

It’s clear attendance matters to all involved, including the community of business, which needs an educated and trained workforce to play a role in today’s economy.

But in L.A. Unified, over 80,000 students, 14.3 percent, were chronically absent in school year 2016. If you add in the 17.9 percent of students who missed 8 to 14 days, almost one-third of L.A. Unified students missed significant amounts of school.

The financial impact of student absence is significant as well. The vast majority of revenue the district receives is tied to student attendance. If every child in L.A. Unified attended one more day of school, the District would have approximately $30 million more to invest in the classroom.

Reducing absenteeism is a significant challenge for which there are no simple solutions. Students and families face real and significant barriers that prevent students from making it to school, including inadequate transportation, health issues, and other conditions related to living near or below the poverty line.

The district recognizes the importance of this issue and is working to reduce absenteeism. In fact, some schools in the most disadvantaged parts of the district have managed to reduce chronic absenteeism to less than 10 percent. These successes show that more can and should be done at every school across the district.

The L.A. Unified Advisory Task Force, comprised of local civic, education, and business leaders, was recently established to provide recommendations and support to the district in its efforts to improve attendance, student achievement, and budget issues.

L.A. Unified – in collaboration with the Task Force – is implementing the following steps this school year to enhance progress, accountability, and transparency around attendance:

First, L.A. Unified will continue to improve the efforts that already exist within the district. The district spends approximately $40 million on programs that are specifically designed to reduce student absenteeism. It needs to measure the efficacy of these programs and redirect resources to what works.

Second, we need to engage the whole community, so that every parent, student, and neighbor knows why attending school is important. We will work with community and business leaders, sports and entertainment figures, and civic groups to spread the word that kids belong in school.

Third, we will use campaign tactics – direct mail, text messages, phone banks and neighborhood canvassing – to target at-risk students and their caregivers. The district needs to reach out early and often to get students to class.

Fourth, the district will provide individual schools with incentives when they reach their attendance goals. Principals at these schools can determine how they want to use any such rewards to benefit students.

Fifth, the district will continue to provide one-on-one counseling to students and families most in need. These counselors help identify and remove barriers that prevent students from attending school.

Vivian Ekchian, is acting superintendent of L.A. Unified; Austin Beutner is co-chair of L.A. Unified Advisory Task Force and founder of Vision to Learn; Laphonza Butler is co-chair of L.A. Unified Advisory Task Force and president of Service Employees International Union Local 2015.