A truancy officer, who school officials hope will help to boost attendance for two local school districts, has been hired and began work this week. The Warren County R-III School Board voted last week in a closed session to hire Robert "Rob" Westling to fill the new position, according to Superintendent Dr. John Long. Both districts have struggled in recent years to meet state attendance guidelines. School officials, including those from Wright City R-II, hope the position pays for itself as better attendance leads to more state funding. "I think we will see kids in school who are normally out of school," Long said. Westling will be paid $33,000 plus benefits, according to Long. Two-thirds of the salary will be paid by the R-III district with the remaining third taken care of by the R-II district. The payment arrangement, determined by each district's total enrollment, could change in the future should Westling spend more time in the R-II district. Both districts had previously applied to receive grant funding to pay for the truancy officer but were turned down. As of last week, the R-II attendance rate for the current school year was 95.71 percent. The R-III attendance rate was 94.53 percent Both figures are an increase from the 2007-2008 school year when both districts failed to meeting state standards and were the worst compared to neighboring school districts. At the time, the R-III attendance reached only 93.1 percent compared to 93.8 percent in the R-II district. Westling was selected over six other applicants, who were all interviewed by an eight-person committee comprised of representatives from both school districts, Long said. Westling is a former police officer who previously was a school resource officer and had taught at the college level. "The committee unanimously decided Mr. Westling was the best candidate," Long said. The R-II school board will be voting on a memorandum of understanding at this Thursday's meeting to finalize the truancy officer arrangement. Both districts began exploring the need for a truancy officer in February by sending a joint letter to county officials promoting the idea. Under Missouri law, those age 16 and under must attend school. School officials said they are not seeking to find students who have legitimate reasons for not being in schools, such as sickness or other appointments. Over the past couple of years, the districts have been awarding attendance prizes to entice students to come to school. "I think for the families, we have something beyond notices and letters and phone calls," R-II Superintendent Dr. Chris Gaines said. "We got somebody backed by both schools, the county judge, commissioners and prosecutor. They all have been in on this." "I think everybody involved has the belief it can make a difference," he added. Long said Westling's contract is for a 12-month period. During the summer months, Westling's duties will include establishing relationship with students and parents. His duties will include finding chronic absentees and working to get them back to school. Both districts previously learned grant applicants were turned down that would have covered the expense of hiring a truancy officer. Westling's hire will not impact or change the arrangement both school districts have with school resource officers. As part of the agreement already approved by the R-III school board and to be voted on this week by the R-II board, both districts will pay for all the salary and benefits of the truancy officer. The pay will be determined by the enrollment in both districts in the September report submitted to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. In addition, the position will be a juvenile officer who has the training and ability to work with the juvenile office as needed and be present in court. However, the truancy officer will only be able to fill duties designated by both school districts. The agreement can be terminated by any of the school districts or juvenile divisions with a 30-day written notice.