Collaboration: The Core of Strong Decision Making

I've been around long enough to know that if I'm the smartest person in the room I need to find another room. When I first became an administrator all those years ago, I was nervous for a lot different reasons. None more so than the fact that I was a former music teacher, now all of a sudden expected to know about all sorts of things that were not in my wheelhouse. When my administrative career began, one of the biggest worries I had was understanding this thing called 'DIBELS' (seems pretty trite now). I shouldn't have worried about it at all, because the teachers that were in the building knew exactly what it was, how it worked, and why it was important. I only really needed to know what it was from 'the balcony' view. So, my mantra since entering the administrative side of education more than two decades ago has always been that 'we hire professional people to do professional work'. When a parent presents a problem of practice; let's say it's reading, I'm not your guy. But the good news is that I have a whole elementary building full of people who are experts at solving reading problems. 

Over the years I've also learned that I don't need to have all the answers. Every once in a while, a programmatic issue may come up that is a source of conflict. The concerned parties may come in to visit or send an email, citing Iowa Code chapter and verse. Want to know a little secret? It's entirely possible the concerned party knows more about the program than I do. When something is personal you tend to do your research. I don't know Iowa Code inside and out, even on education issues. Granted, the interpretation presented by the offended party may not quite be right, but sometimes it is! These issues should always be viewed as opportunities for us to get better, clarify a program, or to simply make a course correction. 

The point is that while I don't need to have all the answers, it is absolutely a job requirement that I can find the answers. Which really brings me to the point of today's column. It's surrounding myself with people who do have the right answers. Whether that is a reading specialist or a building administrator. 

Now, I'm a bit biased here but for the most part I think we get it right when it comes to making decisions on behalf of the school district. I know, I know. There are plenty of folks reading this right now who can probably cite multiple examples where we blew it. We'll get to that. But the reason I make such a bold claim is because those decisions aren't made in a silo. In other words, I'm not sitting in my office with some master plan or rubric making the call. No, I rely on my team to help sort through the complexities and nuances of the issues we grapple with. Yes, when it comes to the big problem(s) of the day I am sitting down with my building administrators and solving the problem as a team. Asking for their input, and having them challenge my thinking and exposing weaknesses in the possible solution. When we come together to debate and argue, it only makes the decision more sound. So, when we get it right-it's because I listened to the team. When we get it wrong? Well, I probably wasn't a good listener. 

So as we close out the month of October, I'll do what I should have done at the beginning of the month. Thank our principals for all they do to to support learning in our schools. I am proud to have these leaders who guide our schools every day. 

Thank you to Mrs. Betts, for fostering an incredibly positive and inclusive school culture, ensuring both students and staff feel valued and motivated to excel. She provides an extraordinary balance to our team and can be counted on to offer perspectives that may otherwise go unnoticed by the rest of the team. I continue to learn from her thoughtful approach to the multitude is issues that cross her desk daily. 

Thank you to Dr. Zellmer, who has quickly established an atmosphere of high expectations and collaboration, working hard to bring together a cohesive middle school team that has long yearned for an identity of their own. His deep experience is already translating into tangible, positive outcomes for students and staff.

And we can't forget to thank our grizzled veteran, Mr. Dieken. He is an invaluable institutional anchor and visionary. His calm demeanor and decades of navigating every conceivable school challenge provides a steady hand for our team. His unmatched historical perspective and wisdom are one of the reasons we often turn to him first when complex issues arise, benefiting from his deep, proven experience.

School Board Election November 4: Meet the Candidates

The school and city election is scheduled for November 4 and this election cycle we have 3 seats on the school board up for election. There are 3 candidates running for these seats and include incumbent Sannon Ingamells, who is seeking her second term on the board, and both Jared Seliger and Scott Beenken who are running for their first term. I encourage you to take a few minutes to read about these candidates and be ready to cast your vote on November 4!

Scott Beenken

Scott is no stranger to the community, growing up just south of Hudson on a farm near Buckingham. He is a proud graduate of the North Tama School District and continued his post-secondary education at Iowa State University. While at Iowa State, Scott earned a Bachelor's degree in Agricultural Studies and minored in Agronomy. 

As a co-owner of the multi-family row crop farming enterprise of B & H Agriculture Services, Scott and his team farm approximately 4,000 acres which includes some custom enterprises. Their operations not only include an area right around Hudson, but spans three counties including areas in Blackhawk, Grundy and Tama.

He has been married to his wife Stephanie for 18 years who is a registered dietician that works out of the Waterloo clinic of veterans affairs headquartered in Iowa City. Together, Stephanie and Scott keep very busy raising their three children who are all students in Hudson Schools: Sydnie is in 8th grade, Declan in 5th and Logan in 1st! 

Scott was drawn to board service through his volunteer work with the school. As an active member of the SIAC (School Improvement Advisory Committee), he was recruited to serve on the steering committee for the 2023 general obligation task force that led to the successful completion of the high school project. He is committed to a team approach to problem solving and truly believes that the collective strength of a team is what strengthens any organization. He recognizes that as a key attribute to anyone who aspires to board service.

When asked about the greatest challenge facing education statewide, he zeros in on funding. Understanding how to manage scarce resources is a challenge for all school districts and it takes a keen eye and careful understanding of the issues in order to wisely and efficiently allocate those resources to our educational programs. Hudson, on the other hand, has very unique challenges when compared to other school districts in Iowa. Where many schools in Iowa are facing declining enrollment, Hudson appears to be in direct contrast with growing enrollment. Our challenge then is to manage our educational spaces as our enrollment grows, which will ensure our students have a solid base in which to meet their future goals. 

Scott hopes that his service on the school board can make a positive and lasting impact. He understands that, not only is he working to improve the educational outcomes of his own children, but all of the children in Hudson schools, now and into the future. 

Shannon Ingamells

Shannon grew up in Cedar Falls and holds a BA Degree in Community Health Education from the University of Northern Iowa and an Associate Degree in Nursing (RN) from Inver Hills Community College. She is currently employed by Waverly Health Center as an RN in the Medical-Surgical Department and has varied nursing experience in pediatrics, public health, home health, hospice, and school nursing. Her past experience, specifically, as a school nurse manager within schools in the Cedar Valley has given Shannon a unique perspective. 

Shannon and her husband Wade, a Hudson native, have been married for 24 years. They lived in Minnesota when they were first married. Shortly afterward, they moved back to Iowa and have been happy to call Hudson home for the past 22 years.  Both of their children are graduates of Hudson High School. 

Shannon is finishing her first term on the board and has found the work rewarding, and is eager to serve another term to continue her service to the district and community. She has an interest in educational law as well as collaborating with others to arrive at the best outcome. She is accustomed to working in unique situations with an adverse and complex set of barriers. She has extensive background working with children with special health care needs in the school setting and collaborating with the AEA. She believes it takes a village to raise a child and wants to help impact the educational experiences of our Hudson students.  

Shannon believes in the uniqueness of each child and that it can be challenging for educators to find that uniqueness about each child and meet each child and their families "where they are". But, she feels if that uniqueness can be found and lifted up to help the student reach their full potential, their opportunities in life will be limitless.

Despite being a smaller school district, Shannon is happy to see the progress Hudson Schools have made to offer a myriad of educational opportunities and activities to students. Her daughter, a 2021 Hudson graduate, was able to take a CNA course her senior year. This was an amazing experience and sparked her daughter's interest in pursuing a degree in nursing as well as working at a local nursing home as CNA. Her daughter loves her CNA job and has learned that caring for others is her passion. Her daughter is currently a student in the nursing program at The University of Northern Iowa. Shannon's son, a 2024 Hudson graduate, found his path by taking welding courses at Hudson during both his junior and senior years as well as participating in the Cooperative Work Experience (CEO) program. Her son then went on to earn a welding degree at Hawkeye Community College and is now loving his full time work as a welder for a local rail car company. Shannon believes the educational experiences her children received while students at Hudson has helped shape who they are today.

If re-elected, Shannon hopes to continue making a positive impact by the choices and decisions that are made as a board member.  She is committed to ensuring Hudson Schools continues to be a place where students want to learn and teachers want to teach, where they wake up every morning and are excited to be there.  Shannon is proud of the work she and the current school board are doing. She appreciates the team work, discussion, and importance placed on each issue to ensure the best possible outcomes for our students, their families, and our staff.

Dr. Jared Seliger 

Originally from Jesup, Dr. Seliger is a graduate of Don Bosco High School and holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Loras College; a certificate in nuclear medicine from the University of Iowa, an MBA from the University of Northern Iowa, and a PdD in Educational Leadership from Iowa State University. He has worked at Allen College in Waterloo where he started as program director in the Nuclear Medicine Technology program. In 2018, he was named President of Allen College.

Dr. Seliger and his wife Miranda have lived in Hudson since 2010 and are raising one daughter, Tenley who is currently in 4th grade. He is excited to be running for a seat on the school board and is eager to give back to the community. Jared believes our public school system is the catalyst and foundation to success in life and wants to ensure that Tenley and all children in our community continue to receive an exemplary education. He hopes that by serving on the board, he will be a strong advocate for children in Hudson and work to ensure the education they receive is among the best in the state and country.

From a statewide perspective, he believe the greatest challenge to be an ever shrinking pipeline of young people pursuing education as a career. Dr. Seliger points out that Iowa has numerous small, rural districts that can make it difficult to compete for talent. The inability to attract strong teachers to smaller school districts will make it even more difficult to adequately serve the needs of students in those districts. 

On the other hand, he believes the greatest challenge facing the Hudson Community School District is rapid growth. As more students move into the district, the current infrastructure is not sufficient to meet the needs of a growing student population. While he applauds the current expansion and renovation at the high school, he recognizes that continued student growth will create additional infrastructure challenges.