California View: To better support students across the state, we must change our funding formula

There is no doubt: Kids are missing a lot of school. Nationally, over a quarter of public school students were chronically absent last year — up from about 15% before the pandemic.

Kids in California are no exception. Recent reporting by the Bay Area News Group said the average California student missed 14.6 school days last year.

This is happening for many reasons, including transportation and mental health issues. Perhaps most daunting is the idea that the pandemic altered society’s relationship with schooling...