Beyond the Spreadsheets: Why I Do the Work

Last Friday I experienced one of those rare moments of quiet when our schools were closed following parent teacher conferences. It was even more so, because we had taken our network down for maintenance. The few remaining employees in the district were not beholden to the network, so that basically limited our operations to the students who were rehearsing for the musical this weekend. As I was walking through the high school commons, I had the good fortune to hear our students rehearsing and stepped into the auditorium to take in a bit of their practice session. It was a good reminder for me of why we do this work, and one that I didn't know that I needed.

I made the decision more than twenty years ago to leave the classroom for administration. While I loved my time working directly with kids, I felt that school administration would permit me to have a broader perspective that could impact a greater number of students. Moving from the classroom to a building principal role certainly broadened my perspective. It also created 'one degree of separation' from my interactions with students. Then, making that transition from building principal to superintendent created an additional degree of separation. Admittedly, my daily interaction with students is limited. Truth be told, if you dropped someone into the central office without any context, it might take a bit of convincing that we are even a school organization. I mean, even on those days when our buildings are bustling with students: it's quiet down here! My days are mired in filing state reports, removing barriers while trying to solve the unsolvable, ensuring compliance on a whole host of both federal and state statutes, and perseverating over budget projections. When buried in a spreadsheet one can certainly lose perspective.

Which leads me to that quiet day last Friday. The stillness within our buildings allowed me to reflect, and square up that perspective. Primarily, the work we do in our schools is in service to the students and families we serve. It's about providing them with opportunities to develop, explore, and find their own calling or vocation. While I am no longer on the frontlines, I am extremely proud when I see our students succeed. Or witnessing the sense of accomplishment on that instructors face when the fruits of their labor pay huge dividends with high student outcomes. Indeed, working out of the district office is not fundamentally about compliance, spreadsheets, or administrative friction; it is entirely in service to the students, staff, and families we support. That service comes alive when we look across our district right now and witness the richness of student engagement taking place every single day. Take just a few minutes to scroll through our Facebook page to see a multitude of examples!

Our athletic teams are wrapping up phenomenal hard-fought seasons that showcase teamwork, sportsmanship, and grit. At the same time, talented student musicians have earned spots in both All-State and Opus, representing the very best of our fine arts programs. And all of this will culminate this weekend as our stage lights go up for the big fall musical-Into the Woods; a true testament to months of dedication, creativity, and collaboration.

Moments of quiet reflection in the central office remind me why these celebrations and events matter so much. Each policy decision, alignment to the budgets and operational system we manage is ultimately designed to support these moments on the field, on the stage, or in the classroom. 

Oh, and in closing I hope you find time to see Into the Woods this weekend. It is an ambitious undertaking, and the small piece that I saw last Friday tells me that it will be well worth your time!

Certified Enrollment

October 1 is the official 'Count Day' in schools across the state where we get our first glimpse of enrollment and begin to solve for base funding for the fiscal year set to begin on July 1 (FY 2028). However, during the last legislative session, a second 'Count Day' was added, which will happen on January 15. These two numbers will be averaged, and that number will become the base number in the finance formula. The reason this second count day was added, at least according to the legislature was to ensure more precise funding. The reality for Hudson though, and for many schools like us is that it will result in a decrease in enrollment, and by proxy funding. Particularly when considering the fact that first semester ends with the calendar year and those seniors who graduate at mid-term will not be on the second count.

Notwithstanding that fact, our certified enrollment is down this year by 10.14 students (that's before we factor in those handful of students who are graduating at midterm). At roughly $8,200 per student, that is roughly $91,000 in funding we'll need to address in the next budget cycle. Truth be told, this was unexpected. When asked to speculate, the primary theory rests largely on economic reasons. Anecdotally, there are houses currently on the market in Hudson that, a few years ago simply would not be. Coupled with the rising costs of consumer goods, increases in gasoline, and ubiquitous school choice options, it probably shouldn't be too surprising. Nonetheless, the next budget cycle will undoubtedly require some adjustments. 

However, in the final analysis it is far too soon to be contemplating the FY 2028 budget. Remember, certified enrollment considers resident students only: not open enrolled. When considering the overall number of students served, it is essentially a 'wash'. Yet the reason we perseverate so much on certified enrollment is that it is much more stable. Open enrolled students tend to wax and wane throughout the school year, and as such the funding is a bit more fluid. So then, when considering preschool through twelfth grade enrollment, the district is currently serving 924 students, which is the same as last year. Kindergarten through twelfth grade enrollment on October 1 was 874 students, which is below expectations and 3 fewer than one year ago. 

Again, certified enrollment describes students with a physical address of Hudson and includes students who attend school in Hudson or open enroll to another public-school district. Our certified number is down 10.14 students from last year. The basic calculation is the number of resident students attending in the local district, plus the number of resident students attending another public-school district. The BEDS count, on the other hand considers students who are served in the school district. The basic calculation here is resident students attending our school district, plus those who are open enrolled into Hudson. In this case, there is a net decrease of 2.84 students over last year from 880.74 to 877.90. This result was unexpected.

The number of students open enrolling out of Hudson has also increased from 71.30 to 78.30 with most choosing Cedar Falls (34). The second spot belongs to Gladbrook-Reinbeck, with (12), followed by (11) participating in an online option and (11) in Waterloo. The remaining OE out students are attending Dike-New Hartford, Union, or Iowa Falls.

There are 198 students open enrolling into Hudson, compared to 184 from a year ago. Waterloo continues to lead, with (122) students open enrolling into Hudson, up from (117) a year ago. Our data suggests (20) students taking advantage of the ESA program, down from (21) from a year ago. The primary takeaway is that a net positive of 81 students (those open enrolled in minus those open enrolled out) is a very good sign for the district.  

We had 23 students who were enrolled last year but have subsequently transferred out or moved to another school district. This compares to 41 students who moved out last year and would suggest a more transient population of learners.

Elementary grade levels remain the largest, with 4 sections per grade level from grades K-4. As the district plans for the 2027-2028 school year, it would be wise to staff the school appropriately to match enrollment. In so doing, opportunities to move some of the smaller 4 section elementary grade levels to 3 sections should be considered. Previous projections did not anticipate this turn in enrollment, but the good news is there is time to make course corrections prior to creating fiscal stress on the district.

Enrollment projections are calculated based on a cohort methodology that uses a five-year rolling average to determine kindergarten size. Over the last 5 years, the kindergarten has averaged 77 students; while in the last 10 years it has averaged 67. With this methodology, estimates from prior years are left static since there is no algorithm to accurately predict transfers in or out of the district. If these projections were come to fruition, we will reach our high-water mark of 962 in 2031-2032. Even so, it is entirely reasonable, and could be argued that the kindergarten projections are overstated.  

To read more about our enrollment and see future trends, please visit the 'About Us' page of our website.