Safe, Fair, and Efficient Bus Routes

Well, it's getting to be about that time again. Late last week you should have received your welcome back letter along with instructions on registering for school. As the writing of this post, we have two and a half weeks to go before we open our doors on the 2026-2027 school year. I do hope that you have had a relaxing and enjoyable summer! Part of my respite is a few months break from writing to you each week. With today's column, you can expect that regularity to return (although it may take a few weeks to get my writing 'chops' back in shape). So, welcome back! Administrators returned to the district on Monday and we are putting the finishing touches on our preparations for the first day of school. It is going to be a spectacular year!

One of the annual tasks that we have begun to work on in earnest is the construction of our school bus routes for the year. While the basic structure of those routes remains largely intact year after year, there are new families who move into the area, others whose children are now driving to school, and those who have graduated. This year, we are contending with the anticipated bridge reconstruction on Butterfield Road that will have an impact on that bus route. Indeed there are changes to the routes every year. 

So to begin today, I want to highlight some important policy updates and clarifications regarding school bus transportation. The policy updates that have recently been adopted by the school board are focused on three guiding principles: the routes must be safe, fair, and efficient. Before getting into those policy changes, a good place to start might be a reminder about state law. Iowa Code § 285.1 mandates that public school districts provide transportation to resident K-12 students at no charge for elementary students living more than 2 miles from their designated attendance center and high school students living more than 3 miles from their designated attendance center. The law also provides a provision that districts can require a student to walk up to 3/4 of a mile to meet the bus at the assigned stop. We are proud of the fact that we are able to exceed those requirements at Hudson Schools. 

A few years back, we began offering discretionary transportation, or bus service for families that live inside the radius outlined by state law. At the same time, we have been able to do so without charge; even though state law permits the district to charge a fee to cover the pro-rata cost. We will continue to operate this service as long was we can do so in a fiscally responsible way and without the need to add additional routes to our fleet. 

Because of this, we transport a lot of students daily. In fact, twice a day we are transporting more that 400 students to and from school. As you might imagine, the organizational planning involved in this feat are incredibly complicated. The logistics become even more arduous when considering some students get on one bus in the morning and a different bus in the afternoon. Except for other random days during the week when it changes. On some days, the student may have a different arrangement. And to be clear, we are not talking about just one family. It is multiple families, and sometimes these changes aren't communicated until the afternoon; at which point it is not uncommon for that message to become lost in transit.  

This brings us to the first change in policy. If a family would like to request a change in their bus arrangement for an afternoon drop-off, we would like to know as early as possible in the morning, preferably by 8:30 a.m. This is the only way we can ensure the message gets routed through the proper channels before the end of the school day. If you require a change in afternoon transportation after that time, the best practice is to arrange to pick up your child or make arrangements for one of your other contacts to do so. All too often, the message doesn't get to the right people and we end up with a kindergarten student who normally would ride the bus home and didn't get the message that they were supposed to get off at St. Tim's that day. This is a safety issue. 

The other change that we have made in Policy 711.1 isn't really a change at all but merely a clarification: "Bus stops will be determined by the district annually and students who participate in discretionary transportation may be required to meet the school bus at the designated stop." Look, I get it. The bus may drive right by your house, turn around and come back to a stop that is two blocks away. But here is the reality of the situation. It is not efficient. Everytime we stop, it adds minutes to the route and stress on the [school bus] unit. My goal is to make as few stops as possible so I can get the bus back to school or barn in as short a timeframe as possible. Plus, it's not fair to everyone else. If I stop at one house, why not stop at all of them? Imagine how long that would take! In Twin Oaks for example, we could have upwards of 14 stops in that subdivision. Think about how much time that would take! 

Sometimes it is a balancing act when considering both safety and efficiency when constructing bus routes. For example, we limit, and try to avoid a school bus ever having to back up. We will never allow a bus to pull into a driveway and then back out onto a county blacktop or state highway. Even on gravel roads it is done sparingly. At the same time, on hard surface roads like those just described, we ensure that students don't have to cross over a highway to get on the bus. 

Building school bus routes is complicated and there are multiple variables that we must consider when determining what is safe, fair, and efficient. I also understand that our purposes may run counter to one another when it comes to what time and where the bus stops in your neighborhood. Our only ask is that you keep in mind those three guiding principles and remember: we have more than 400 students we are moving between point 'A' and point 'B'. Twice daily.

Collaborate. Empathize. Innovate: The Conclusion

Message to the Faculty and Staff of the Hudson Community School District at the finish line of the 2025-2026 school year:

At the very beginning of this school year, we began a new journey together; and one that I promised would pass us by quickly. In that opening, I spoke of my own journey as a young teacher to the moment that led right up to the opening of the 2025-2026 school year. As is tradition at the beginning of each year, I offered you a theme, or hashtag, if you will, to be used to center our work together for the school year about to unfold. 

This year, I encouraged a spirit of collaboration: recognizing that our greatest strengths lie in our ability to work together to share our ideas, and to support one another through our successes and each hurdle that we encountered. The examples of collaboration that I have witnessed this year are too numerous to capture in this, my final message to you for the 2025-2026 school year. 

I asked you to foster a spirit of empathy-not just for our students but for one another. I have seen you wrap your arms around our students when they had no one else. I watched you stand in for your colleagues when they were experiencing difficulty. And I noticed when you stayed a little later in the afternoon to comfort a colleague who had a particularly rough day. 

You were challenged to embrace innovation. As our world changes, so too should our teaching practices. Through your innovative use of AI in the classroom, to the hard work needed for the implementation our scientifically based reading instruction. You were there for all of it. 

A little more than a week ago we sent off the Class of 2026 to take on the world. While they are at the starting gate of their journey, the advice I offered to them has echoes of what I shared with all of you at the start of this sojourn. To realize that every person you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. To understand that collaboration is the art of recognizing someone has a skill set that can complement the work you are doing and having the humility to ask for help. And to understand that we don’t merely need musicians who can play the notes on the page, but those who can compose a whole new symphony. 

So then, we find ourselves here today at the end of another chapter. Our students are now gone, likely already enjoying the childhood freedoms that come with the promise of summer. We are now putting our books on the shelves for one final time, and within a few short hours our hallways will grow quiet. 

However, it won’t be long before the page turns and we begin to write the opening sentences of the chapter that will become the 2026-2027 school year. Yet it will most certainly be different, because you see, some of those who read these words or gather for our year end celebration are doing so for their final time today. Indeed the close of this school year is an important milestone for some as they put those books back on the shelf one final time. Making the decision to retire is a difficult one. There are many mixed emotions, because on one hand you are not merely ending a chapter, but closing a book that has largely consumed entire working lives. As I told the Class of 2026, my hope is that you are able to look back fondly at your time in Hudson and are always able to call these hallways ‘home’. 

If you'll permit me, I'd like to offer just a few observations about our retirees. First, Laura Angove. With a personality that lights up the room, she was the first to announce her retirement at the beginning of the year. I know she is looking forward to spending time being a grandmother, and she just shared with me that number two on the way. Most of our junior staff know Mrs. Angove as the TAG Coordinator, but she served as a long time art teacher in the district, serving grades kindergarten all the way to seniors in high school. No matter what assignment I needed her for, she gladly accepted my challenge. It was just a few years back when we made the decision to overhaul and revamp our TAG program, moving it from a part time to full time position. I tapped Laura for this job and she took it on graciously. It was a year of hard work getting our program off the ground, but I am grateful Laura agreed to take it on. She has built a strong foundation on which the program will undoubtedly grow. 

Then there is Robert. A new grandparent in his own right, for Robert he just thought it was the right time. I remember distinctly when he told me that he was retiring. It definitively wasn't on my bingo card that he would be throwing in the towel at the end of the year. Fact of the matter was, the Friday before he came to see me we had a conversation about basketball and how he was looking forward to seeing his son coach that night. He dropped no hint of what he had in store. Classic Robert! Truth be told, he has been wise counsel to the entire district over the course of his career. I can say this with certainty: whenever Robert was in my office discussing an issue, we all listened carefully to what he had to say and heeded his advice. It was always correct. 

And now we come to Mrs. Dvorak. The final person to announce their retirement, I guess I shouldn't have been surprised, but I really was. You see, Chris had dropped some hints over the last couple of years and I knew it was coming-but the fact is it still took my breath away. I know Chris is looking forward to spending more time with her husband Barry who also recently retired from UNI. When most people think of Chris, my guess is what comes to mind is an orderly classroom that is very well managed. That is undoubtedly true. Yet, when I consider the depth of Mrs. Dvorak's contributions, I think of the passion she has for our veterans and those who have put themselves in harms way in service to our country. Her annual Pirate Term project of creating stationary for our overseas servicemembers is incredibly touching and become one of my favorites. I do hope someone picks up the mantle next year. 

So then, congratulations to Laura Angove, Robert Driscol, and Chris Dvorak on your retirement. You have spent your working lives preparing for this moment and you deserve it. I am happy for you as you embark on your next great adventure. It has been a tremendous honor getting to know you and work with you. I wish you fair winds and following seas. You have served us well and we are better because of your contributions.