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All across the nation schools are trying to find creative ways to raise money. They hold bake sales, sell wrapping paper, or hold auctions in an attempt to raise the funds needed to improve the school’s facilities and equipment. However, in spite of these valiant efforts, many American schools still find themselves in the budgetary red. Obviously, a more radical change is needed, and some creative educators believe that they have found the solution: using GPS tracking to monitor student attendance.

One of the largest problems facing school budgets today is the loss of much-needed finances due to school absence. Every time a student is absent from school, the district loses anywhere from $35 to $50 (depending on the school’s location). Over the course of a year districts typically wave goodbye to hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost income due to students skipping because of the sniffles.

According to national statistics it costs approximately $9,000 a year to publicly educate a child. Schools count on this taxpayer-provided revenue for everything from teacher salaries to playground equipment. Without it, districts have to seriously evaluate their use of funds and make cut-backs that ultimately affect the quality of education that students receive. Whether by raising class size or reusing out-dated textbooks, schools have to find ways to make up for the lost revenue. All of this could be avoided, however, if only school attendance would improve.

Amazingly, GPS technology now offers a solution for assisting schools with attendance: providing historically truant students with GPS trackers that monitor their whereabouts. If a student decides to skip school in favor of spending his “sick” day at the local mall, his principal will know about it. A simple coordinate check will quickly reveal truant students’ locations, making it easy to monitor the reasons behind absences.

Not convinced that GPS tracking can solve budget problems? Consider this: schools in the San Antonio area have seen a 1% increase in school attendance since the implementation of this tracking system. That 1% represents a grand total of 1.2 million dollars that Texas schools received simply for the presence of typically truant students. If it can work for San Antonio schools, it can work anywhere.

An increase in school attendance is not only good for schools’ budgets, however. Many educators also believe that it is the key to a student’s successful future. Students who regularly attend school are able to learn the skills that they need for life. Without education they will face the future unprepared to support themselves through successful careers. GPS technology thus provides not only a budget solution, but an opportunity to give truant students a chance at a quality education.

Article Written by Greg Bartlett