At-Risk Programming

At our board meeting on Monday evening, the board approved the continuation of our At-Risk and dropout prevention program for the next school year. A long time staple of the Hudson Community School District, these services are primarily designed to ensure school success leading to graduation. There is no mistaking the success of this program, our district consistently has graduation rates of 100% year after year. On those rare occasions we don’t have a 100% graduation rate, it can often be traced back to the fact many of those students are recent residents of the district and haven’t had the full accumulative benefit of these services year after year. At the same time, it is important to note that our standards here at Hudson are very high: with a graduation requirement of 56 credits, we are among the highest in the Cedar Valley. 

When most people think of this program, they probably consider the most infamous components of our program: the homework policy. The fact is, this policy is but one component of our comprehensive program. There are multiple ‘service areas’ that currently make up our program, and the After School Program is of course the one that most students come into contact with since it is the vehicle that enables us to successfully implement the homework policy. 

A credit recovery program exists for students to make up courses that they haven’t previously passed or those who are otherwise behind on the number of credits needed for graduation. Utilizing online coursework, this program is overseen by our At-Risk staff and school counselors. 

Home visits are also a staple of our program and serve multiple functions. First, they often provide a way for the school to make connections to the home when it is otherwise difficult to get everyone at the table who needs to be at a problem solving session. These visits are also used from time to time to ensure students are attending school. It is not uncommon for parents to request our help when youngsters refuse to attend school on a particular day, for whatever reason. 

In terms of disciplinary sanctions, our district avoids out of school suspensions. At the same time, we rarely use in school suspensions on campus. Instead, we use a safe school program where we partner with our neighbors for suspension placements in other campuses. Out of school suspensions serve little purpose other than to give pupils a day off of school with little accountability, except for the opportunity to fall (even further) behind in school.

Finally our comprehensive counseling program and team approach to At-Risk is perhaps the most important of components of our program. This coordination of services enables our team to rely on their strengths, working in tandem on complex issues. This team also is critical in coordinating outside counseling services and connecting those services with families in times of crisis.

If you have any questions about our At-Risk program, please contact Mr. Bell.

Seclusion and Restraint

I have been debating writing an article like this for some time now. Partly because the content is tough and hard to hear. Partly because it doesn't necessarily portray a picture of Utopian schools where the students are all well behaved, listen to their teachers, and always turn homework in on time. The fact is, there are days when this work is very difficult for those who work in education. Teachers and administrators are faced with choosing between two very bad options. On one hand, some may believe school leaders don't act quickly enough to remove disruptive students. At the same time, others may feel administrators are too quick to remove students. This makes for a difficult needle to thread!

Last week the Des Moines Register ran a series of stories on an increase of violent and disruptive behavior in their schools. This follows another debate that has been occurring in Iowa City, where the school board has been trying to decide whether or not an added police presence was appropriate for their district. These are very important questions where the answers do not come easily. Developing sound governing policy is hard and tedious work. At the same time, decisions made by the 'boots on the ground' are equally challenging and prone to scrutiny. In some school districts, a measure commonly deployed is a 'room clear'. This is where, instead of the unruly student being removed from the classroom, all the students leave the room. What sometimes happens in this case is the unruly student destroys the classroom (perhaps you have seen footage on the 5:00 news?). In other schools, the use of seclusion rooms is used. This is where the disruptive student is removed from the environment and isolated for a period of time.

Interestingly enough, at the same time this series of stories ran in the Des Moines Register, the state board of education has been contemplating changes to Chapter 103. These are the administrative rules that govern the use of seclusion and restraint in schools. This became a topic of concern (and arguably rightly so) following an investigation that revealed some schools in Iowa were using seclusion rooms inappropriately, and for behavior that didn't rise to a level that warranted such measures. In addition, concerns were raised about the supervision of seclusion rooms and the notification to parents that seclusion was used with their child. These are certainly fair points worthy of consideration. After all, the use of this type of disciplinary sanction should be deployed with exacting protocols, procedures, and parental notification. This most recent iteration is the second attempt at changing the Chapter 103 rules; the first of which coming in August. At that meeting, the board voted down the changes after receiving feedback the changes were too onerous.  

Curiously though, the locus of attention on this issue has been the school response to the explosive behavior. It might be worth our time and investment to study and deploy effective preventative measures that may stop this type of behavior from occurring in the first place. Admittedly, understanding and mitigating triggers is equally challenging. It is not always as simple as a student becoming agitated after being disciplined for a very minor infraction such as missing a homework assignment. Truth be told, understanding the root cause of these type of behaviors is incredibly complicated and may not have anything to do with the original trigger in the first place. It is precisely for those reasons a greater emphasis should be placed on mental health services in our schools. While our legislature has begun to debate this issue and allocate resources for mental health services, it is clear from those stories that have recently been told by the Des Moines Register more work needs to be done. 

In an effort to satisfy your inquisitiveness about our efforts at Hudson I'll offer some insight. Admittedly, we always have room for improvement; but our strategies, protocols, and measures appear to have some merit. As a starting point, our comprehensive counseling program does an excellent job of teaching our students appropriate coping skills designed develop and reinforce high emotional intelligence and responding to adversity appropriately. This team also has a built in safety net that works with students and connects families to outside services when necessary. Coupled with a very robust At-Risk program, our school counselors work in tandem with one another to ensure both our students and faculty have the support they need.

At the same time, the majority of our faculty and a great number of our staff are CPI trained. Crisis Prevention and Intervention (CPI) is rooted in strategies that are designed to deescalate student behaviors before they become uncontrollable. This system uses restraint only as a last resort. Fortunately we have a certified trainer right here on staff and are able to offer this training and renewal certification annually. 

Seclusion and restraint is used as the effort of last resort and employed only when there is a fear of harm to self, others, or property. Parents are always notified as soon as it is practical to do so. Students are closely monitored during seclusion and detailed notes are maintained outlining the conditions and circumstances surrounding the seclusion. It would seem though, that our use of CPI is effective. So far this year, we have not had to use seclusion and last year used it a total of 6 times.

The Results Are In

Last spring, students in Iowa took The Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress (ISASP). This marked the first time Iowa students have been administered a test that actually aligns to the Iowa Core Academic Standards, which are the 'blueprint' of what is being taught in our classrooms. This test replaces the antiquated Iowa Assessment, which essentially is the test you and I all grew up taking: the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills. The student experience with the IASAP is much better than the Iowa Assessment. Instead of needing a number two pencil to fill in the bubbles, our students took the test using a secure online platform. Future generations of the test will also be computer adaptive, meaning that the test progressively levels itself dependent upon how the student answers the questions. 

The differences between the two assessments don't just stop there. As a start, the IASAP is administered during the final quarter of the school year. This means all students across the state have had a roughly equivalent amount of instruction leading up to the test. Previously, schools in Iowa had the option of taking the test in the fall, winter, or spring. As a reminder, Hudson students historically took the Iowa Assessments during the winter. 

Another important difference is that the Iowa Assessment was a norm referenced test, which meant that students were compared to one another. This made it incredibly difficult to determine how a student actually performed on the test. What we did know with the Iowa Assessment is that Student A performed better than 50% of all the other students that took the test (for example), but didn't necessarily know the percentage of correct responses on that test.

The ISASP on the other hand is a criterion referenced test. This means we aren't comparing students to one another, but rather the number of correct responses on the test. In other words, do they know the correct answer or don't they? In fact, when the student reports are sent out later in the month, as parents you will be able to see the percentage of correct responses for each area. I can assure you the parent report will be much more useful to you and easier to understand than the reports that were issued with the Iowa Assessment!

The final, and perhaps biggest difference between the two tests is the rigor of the ISASP. Because the Iowa Assessment was solely a 'fill in the bubble test', the questions largely were recall. They didn't really require the students to think very hard, or determine whether or not the student truly grasped the content. In education, we call this 'Depth of Knowledge' (DOK). The questions from the Iowa Assessment were generally DOK 1, or low level recall. There are four levels of DOK, and the ISASP has been designed to spread the DOK across the spectrum. As a result, the number of DOK 1 questions has been minimized. Perhaps that is why there was trepidation that when the results came out the scores were going to be lower. But that theory misses an important point: it is a completely different test and it would be inappropriate; strike that, impossible to compare the ISASP to the Iowa Assessment. In many ways it would be like comparing an apple to an orange.

That said, the results are in. Students in grades 3-11 are tested in English/Language arts (ELA) and math. The ELA suite of tests also includes a writing component, something new, which increases the rigor (DOK) of the test. Additionally, students in grades 5,8,10 are also administered a science test. We are just now beginning the process of analyzing our data, but here is a snapshot: 

The light blue column at far right is the percentage of Hudson students at each grade level who are currently proficient. The column at far right is the difference between our Hudson scores and the statewide proficiency. The dark blue color indicates a grade level exceeding the statewide average (and by how much), whereas the red indicated a grade level below the statewide average. This data gives us a good starting point for discussions in our school about why the scores are what they are, and will ultimately lead us to an action plan for improvement! At the same time, there is quite a bit to be proud of in this data set. The percentage of students proficient in some of our grade levels is staggering! A testament not only to the hard work of our student test takers, but to the quality of instruction that is occurring in the classrooms. Further, I might suggest this data shows the impact of our instruction is cumulative. The longer students are in our system, the more they improve.

A more elusive and important metric missing is student growth. This has typically been measured by comparing this  year's standard score to last year's standard score. Although we do have a standard score with the ISASP, it would be inappropriate to measure it against last year's standard score because again, it's a different test. There is a statistical reconciliation that can be done between the two, but I fear reliability will still be a factor. 

Nevertheless, we have successfully completed our first evolution of the test and we now have a baseline with which to grow! As we continue our analysis of the data, I'll be sure to pass along additional findings. You can expect to see your child's results when we send report cards home. In the interim, if you have any specific questions please feel free to contact your building principal. 

Participate Now or Regret it Later

I took a few minutes this morning to scroll through our #hudsonschools Twitter feed just to see what has been going on in the district over the last several weeks. While it is readily evident we have been busy, at the same time it is a great reminder of what a fantastic school we have. Our students have demonstrated great success both in and outside of the classroom, and it is another reminder of how great it is to be a Pirate! 

Congratulations to all our cross country athletes! Our girls team was the runner up in the state Class 1 A meet, and Sam Hansen was an 11th place finisher in the boys meet. A steady and consistent program, participation at the state meet isn't new for our school. After more than two decades at the helm, Coach Selenke has had athletes participate in the state meet 19 times! Also a special congratulations to Coach Selenke for being names as Class 1A At-Large 2019 IATC Cross Country Coach of the Year!

Speaking of state level competition, we shouldn't forget about our volleyball team's very successful season. Coach Baird believed there was something special about this group during the preseason and predicted qualifying for the state tournament. I loved Mr. Leonard's post after our game: "Many go a lifetime without experiencing the high of qualifying and playing in a HS tournament. It's something I wish everyone got the chance to feel. Happy for our girls who got to experience it together this week. Something they'll always remember." Couldn't agree more, Sean!

Another highlight of the fall was the return of the fall play! It has been several years since we had fall production and a lot of credit goes to Director Chip Herrera for helping to make this comeback possible! A great opportunity for our kids to become involved in school activities!

Finally I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge the hard work of Mr. Tecklenburg and our vocal music students in preparation for their auditions for a spot in the Iowa All-State Chorus. As a former choir director I am well aware of the work it takes in preparation for the audition and the long odds of being selected for the prestigious chorus. When I was preparing students, I believe the odds were less than 25%! Because of those odds and the work that goes into preparation, this is truly considered one of the highest honors a high school musician can receive in the state of Iowa. Congratulations go out to Alex Reynolds for being selected! At the same time, I am happy to offer additional congratulations to freshman Mishayla Robbins for being selected to the equally prestigious Iowa Opus Choir!

So far this year our students have built on an already very impressive resume of accomplishments. Our winter season of activities and sports is just now beginning or will begin soon. I encourage all our students to become involved in an activity! Studies show your participation in these activities builds a stronger connection to your school. That in turn will have a positive impact on your classroom performance. If that doesn't convince you, how about the fact that if you don't participate now, you'll regret it later. Yeah, I was involved in high school; but not as much as I could have been. To this day, there are activities I wish I had participated in. 

Closings, Delays, and Cancellations

Last week I met with the National Weather Service out of Des Moines to discuss the upcoming winter weather season. During inclement weather, school superintendents rely on the resources provided by the service to help make decisions regarding changes to the school day. These services include bulletins, webinars, and direct line communication to the meteorologists. The purpose of our meeting was simply an opportunity for them to hear feedback on the quality of their service and to see if I found it helpful. Sure it's helpful. The fact is, I rely on those reports quite a bit. However, had I known it would have foreshadowed what I found in my backyard this morning, I may have declined their offer: 

Yep, it's October 29th and that is our first measurable snowfall of the year. When I went to bed last night it was snowing a bit. Luckily the weather forecast did say this snow wouldn't stick to the roads and schools would not have to  make any changes to their schedules for today. Nonetheless, according to the forecast, we could see another measurable amount on Halloween. I kind of feel bad for the kids that are going to be out for 'trick or treat' that night. Most of those costumes aren't built for cold weather! 

This early arrival of winter is a good opportunity to remind everyone to please sign up for our text and email service for weather related school announcements. You can sign up by going to our website and scrolling to the very bottom of the page: 

You can either select to receive a text alert or an email (if you want to sign up twice, you can get it in both versions if you like). Whenever a school wide announcement is made regarding weather, the very first posting is through this system. So if you want to know about a closing, delay, or cancellation even before the news, sign up right here! Following that, we post to all media outlets. I would also encourage you to please refrain from calling any of the offices. During these events, the office staff is typically very busy making last minute arrangements for buses, rides, or they simply don't know the answer to your question because a decision hasn't been made yet. 

Let's hope this mornings snow wasn't a sign of things to come!

School Board Election

Service on the local school board is perhaps one of the most thankless jobs in public service. Consider this: of all the elected offices one can choose to run for, a seat on the school board is the only one that doesn't come with a salary. Instead, it oftentimes comes with a plethora of complaints! Class sizes are too large. The teachers are mean. The administration makes awful decisions. Why on earth are they teaching 'that' in math class? The list goes on and on, and if you ask your school board members, they may have even more examples. 

But at the same time, in my opinion, there is no better example of seeing our democratic form of government in action than the local school board. How much of what happens in Washington truly impacts your everyday lives? Now how much of what happens at your local school district impact your daily lives? I contend school board service is rich, rewarding, and an enormous responsibility. Indeed, it is a very exciting time for our school district as we execute plans and prepare for a future that includes projected enrollment growth, significant improvements to our facilities, and the opportunity to cement our place as an educational destination in the Cedar Valley. We are on our way! It is within that context that I introduce to you the following candidates for the school board. Your vote counts. Don't forget to vote on November 5!

Dave Ball, (Incumbent President of the Board) Candidate for School Board

Dave Ball

Dave is finishing his first term on the Hudson Board of Directors and is excited to be running for a second term and continue to be involved in the great progress the district is making. Originally from Dubuque, Iowa Mr. Ball graduated from Wahlert Catholic High School and served 3 years in the U.S. Army. Post-secondary education includes: Associate of Arts from Kirkwood Community College, Bachelor of Arts in Sociology/Political Science from Mount Mercy University and Master of Arts in Educational Leadership and Public Policy from Iowa State University. For the past 28 years he has worked in higher education with 15 of those years spent currently at Hawkeye Community College as the Director of Admissions, Student Life and Athletics. 

Dave and his wife Lisa moved to Hudson 11 years ago and have three adult children. Ryan is an administrator for Humana Insurance Corporation, Emily is Associate Director of Economic Development for the City of Marion and Drew is an attorney in Chicago.

Mr. Ball has prior service on a school board for several years in a district much the same size as Hudson. He feels this experience is of benefit to the District. Hudson is a great place to live and he believes it is his responsibility to get involved in the community.

Dave believes equitable and sustainable funding continues to be a challenge and one that doesn’t appear to be going away anytime soon. Integrating technology into the curriculum continues to be a topic schools districts need to stay on top of as well. Dave hopes to offer an objective and unique point of view, he has experience working with numerous K-12 schools across the state. His overall vision and agenda for Hudson schools is to support and advocate for our teachers, administrators, and most importantly our students.

Kala Featherstone, (Incumbent) Candidate for School Board

Kala Featherstone

Mrs. Featherstone began her tenure on the Hudson Board of Education a year ago when she was appointed to finish the term of Karyn Finn who resigned due to a move to Missouri. Kala is now honored to be running for a full term.

Originally from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Kala and her family are proud to call Hudson home! Her parents still live in Sioux Falls and she has a sister who lives in Minneapolis. Mrs. Featherstone attended Iowa State University and earned degrees in accounting and management information systems. After obtaining her CPA license she worked for an accounting firm in Des Moines which gave her great insight and experience in multiple industries including school district auditing.

Kala currently works in the risk management division of Wells Fargo bank. She has been with the bank 15 years holding positions in financial planning, accounting controller, and technology/risk divisions. Mrs. Featherstone feels her position is a great fit for her young family because it provides the opportunity to work from home so she can be with her children before and after school.

Kala and her husband Joe have been married for almost 12 years and have 3 children who currently attend Hudson schools. Their oldest, Katie is in 5th grade, Chase is in 3rd grade, and Brooke 1st grade. Kala wants to point out they moved into the district prior to Katie starting kindergarten so their children would be in a community with great schools and people. Their children are very active, love school, their teachers, and all the friends they have made at Hudson Elementary!

Mrs. Featherstone is interested in board service out of a desire to ensure the needs of our elementary children are considered in all decisions. She is attuned to the fact that new neighborhoods are under development which will lead to an increase in enrollment in the district. Within that context, she wants to ensure class sizes don't become too large, particularly in the elementary school where studies suggest student achievement is impacted by class size. Kala also believes her skill set will be a great fit for the board and a way to give back to the community, ensuring Hudson Schools is a top district in Iowa! At the same time, she recognizes the challenges that schools in Iowa have with regard to funding and other legislative requirements and mandates.

In Hudson, Kala believes the greatest challenge facing our schools is the ability to provide diverse offerings and extracurricular activities to meet the needs of multiple student interests and remain fiscally responsible. At the same time, it is important to consider the additional costs that parents must contribute in order to participate in these activities. She is also a proponent of new cutting-edge technology and wants to ensure Hudson remains a leader in this arena. Kala is excited about school board service and would look forward to working with school stakeholders to make Hudson a premier school district in Iowa. She feels her perspective and skill set would be a valuable asset to the board and points out that with young children, she would be able to be a voice on the board for years to come.

Underpass Coming Soon!

For a decade now the idea of an underpass at Highway 63 has been something of a white whale for me. Early on during in my tenure the plans for an underpass were presented to me not as an idea, but a reality that would happen within the next 6 months. Then 6 months would go by and, well before you know it here we are. Over the years there were multiple iterations of the project. At first it was to be included as part of the original bike path project. Then it was delayed and scheduled to be included as part of what was coined 'Phase II'. I'm not sure what else might be included in this Phase or if it has happened yet. Then when the DOT took up the replacement of Highway 63 through town I thought for certain that would be the year! After all, they tore up the entire road (bed and all) from Silver Eagle north of town to just south of Mrs. Petry's. It made perfect sense to do it then, right? Wrong. (The road by the way is awesome, remember how bad it was?)

Originally the design called for the underpass to be constructed at the site of the current crosswalk to the school. This would have been roughly at the intersection of Highway 63 and Wood Street (or Schrock Road depending on your orientation). For a crosswalk this serves our purpose of a safe route to school well. For an underpass on the other hand, the grade just doesn't work all that well. So we came up with the suggestion to move it to the location where it is currently being constructed. Where First Street intersects Cedar Street. There are a couple of key benefits to this location. First, the grade works much better; and second, the location puts it not quite in the geographic center of the neighborhood across the highway. This means it is much more likely to be used by someone who lives on Carmela Drive (for example) as opposed to walking all the way town to Wood Street.

Admittedly this change in concept was probably at least partially to blame for the delay. Nevertheless, it takes a lot of time and patience to convince the Department of Transportation that it is necessary to close down a portion of a major US Highway! Then when you involve engineers in the mix it really tends to gum up the system. In the final analysis though, a big thank you needs to be extended to the City of Hudson and the Council for their perseverance over the years. Had they not had the fortitude to stick with it, we may still be wondering if the underpass was going to come to fruition!

We are very close at this point. The underpass is scheduled to be finished sometime in late October or early November. Our intention at the school is to discontinue the use of a crossing guard at that time. During the initial phase of opening, we'll have our crossing guard stationed at the corner of Ardis Street by the cul-de-sac where it traverses back to the northeast (running somewhat parallel to the higway). They will be responsible for directing pedestrian traffic to the underpass. Soon afterward we'll close in the fence at that opening, remove the stoplight on the highway, and remove the sidewalk across the south end of the football field. After a few weeks we'll also stop using that crossing guard. Please be sure to stay tuned as we get closer to project completion.

Unfunded

It's hard to find anything wrong with a recent administrative rule change enacted by the State Board of Education that now requires seat belts on all new school buses purchased after October 1, 2019. Of course at the same time there wasn't anything preventing Iowa schools from doing just that prior to the change in rule. But as this proposal began to go through the vetting process and the public momentum for seat belts began to grow, many school districts decided to accelerate purchasing plans and get new buses on order prior to the change in rule. That is because the estimated cost of seat belts on new bus units is expected to increase the cost by roughly $8,000. We weren't in the market for a new bus this year anyway, since we purchased new buses the last two years in a row (and typically we only purchase every other year). But considering our last 78 passenger unit came in at $82,252 I can understand why a 10% cost increase would force some districts' hand to move up their timeline. Nonetheless, when we purchase our next school bus we'll happily pay the upcharge for seat belts because it is the safe thing to do.

Oftentimes in schools new  mandates are introduced without regard for how the district is going to pay for them. Perhaps the school bus seat belt mandate is a poor example. After all, most schools purchase school buses from either their SAVE or PPEL fund. During the last legislative session our lawmakers took steps to extend the sunset of the SAVE to 2051. For that we are thankful. Maybe their intent here was that this extension would make it more likely schools could handle the costs associated with seat belts in school buses. But at the same time, most school districts have been (or will be) leveraging SAVE funds for infrastructure projects. Case in point: that is how we are paying for our Phase III elementary renovation project. Once we finish that we'll start having a conversation about using some of those funds for Phase IV, which will be the renovation of the high school. Indeed there are a number of strains on that fund outside school buses and infrastructure projects. That is how we fund our connected learning project, purchase vans for the school, pay for emergency repairs that come up over the course of the year. Buy new desks for classrooms. You see, there is always going to be something.

Maybe this is a poor example because generally we are talking about unfunded mandates that impact the operating fund. The most recent mandate was a rule that high school students have a credit of financial literacy as a requirement for graduation. Kind of like the seat belt rule, who is going to say that is a bad idea? We've all heard horror stories of young people going off to college and getting ensnared in a credit card scheme that ultimately creates an unnecessary and quite burdensome debt load for young people. That was the litmus for this requirement. Again, this is one in which we were happy to comply with, and had made plans to begin requiring it absent the change in law. (Kind of like the seat belt rule, there was nothing preventing schools from doing this in the first place.)

Look, I'm not saying any of these things are bad ideas. Quite the contrary. They are great ideas and ones that no one can argue with. The fact of the matter is, the local public school is the one place where we can properly address many of these issues. Getting our students to and from schools safely is of primary concern. We just hope that more time is spent considering the fiscal impact of these decisions. And it is just too easy to say that our low supplemental state aid will be adequate, or that we moved the sunset of the SAVE.

Acceptance, Accountability, and Accreditation

Each year someone in the legislature files a bill that would funnel public money into nonpublic school programs. These infamous voucher programs would allow parents to apply their 'cost per pupil' allocation to any school of their choice. Framed as a way to give families options, a common argument is that parents should be able to have the choice to send their children to school wherever they wish, without regard to zip code. The problems with these type of schemes are numerous, but for the purpose of our discussion here I'll focus on what I refer to as the three 'As': Acceptance, Accreditation, and Accountability. 

In an effort to contextualize the argument in the proper paradigm, it is necessary first to underscore a key flaw, which is the idea that competition in our educational system will make the entire system better. Truthfully, I can understand this logic; albeit flawed. Educational systems are unable to fit the mold of a capital(ist) tradition because the missions of each are so contrary to one another. Even so, if we were to capitulate to such an argument there is no mistaking the harsh reality that students [[or] our 'raw material'] for lack of better terminology; are imperfect. Each student is different, unique, and has needs unlike their counterparts. And thank goodness for that! On the other hand in the traditional business model, all the raw material is the same. Quality control measures are employed which ensure raw material meets exacting standards before it is turned into a finished product. What happens when this raw material doesn't meet the standards? It is discarded, or sent back. That is not the case in your local public school. When our students don't meet the 'exacting standards' or in our terminology the Iowa Core Curriculum, we don't simply discard them. We work with them. We try a different strategy. We take them from where they are and help them to grow. Yet that is not the requirement for our nonpublic counterparts. In fact, legislation that has been proposed in the past gives them the right to refuse acceptance into their institution based on academic standards. 

Accreditation standards refer to the general programming that a school district is required to provide in order to be considered a school. In order for a school to be considered a school, it has to meet certain assurances. For example, certain courses have to be part of the program and highly qualified teachers must be properly certified and licensed in the content they teach. Granted, the majority (but not all) of the nonpublic schools in Iowa meet general accreditation requirements. But when evaluated side to side, the programming provided at Iowa public schools is very robust. Perhaps the most glaring of examples is a lack of special education programming at most nonpublic schools. Certainly this shouldn't be surprising considering the fact these schools have the right to admit based on academic standards.

Finally we have to acknowledge the fact these are public tax dollars we are talking about. Every public school entity in Iowa has the duty to operate with the utmost of transparency. We have to independently audit our books annually. The bills we pay and those to whom we have debt are published each month in the newspaper. The compensation we pay for every employee in the district is a matter of public record. If our governing body wishes to have a meeting, proper notice must be given to the public. If we want to discuss something in private, it can only be done under a very narrow scope of circumstances and we must announce in advance what we are discussing, and any action taken as a result of that discussion is done in the open, public eye. Those rules don't apply to our nonpublic counterparts.

So help me with this argument. We want to 'level the playing field' because of a belief competition is good for the system. But, we are going to have the competitors operate under two separate sets of rules. For our public schools, you must accept everyone who comes your way no matter what. The other schools can selectively cherry pick those who provide them the best academic advantage. Second, public schools have to offer a robust program that encompasses a broad range of curricula. If the other school so chooses, they can instead offer whatever they so desire. The public school must be accountable for every penny they spend, and you must be able to demonstrate that it was spent on a public purpose. The other school can pretty much do whatever they wish because no one is looking. Who do you think would win that competition?

  

How About We Go All Day?

As I mentioned last week, if the legislature can quickly dispose of the Supplemental State Aid question at the onset of the legislative session, they can move on to other important issues. I might suggest a good place to start would be in changing the funding formula for the statewide voluntary preschool program. While Hudson is merely entering our third year participating in the statewide voluntary preschool program, we can already see huge benefits from having this programming right here on site. Designed as an inclusive program, our preschool serves special education students right alongside regular education students. This is indeed the epitome of serving students in their least restrictive environment! In the intervening [three] years we have tweaked our staffing of the program and just this year hired an additional instructor. But this was not easy and based on the current funding model will be an ongoing challenge. Because of the way funding is allocated it requires very careful staffing considerations [with per pupil ratios] that limit the amount of instructional time available for our students. 

One of the key elements required in program design is to ensure at least ten hours of instruction a week. If it doesn't sound like very much to you, I would agree. Maybe it would help if I told you our preschool program provided twelve hours of instruction! Does that make you feel a bit better? Perhaps not. To give you a comparison, our regular K-12 instructional program schedules 33.16 hours of instruction per week (when subtracting non-instructional time like lunch). In actuality, the instructional calendar is more a function of the funding model than what is best practice.

It's really quite simple. Preschool students are weighted at .5 the full equivalency rate. Our per pupil cost this year for preschool students is $3,522.50. This makes our ideal scenario of having an all day preschool program a very difficult hill to climb. Here's why an all day preschool program makes sense.

Scholarly research tells us schools can leverage the benefits in a way that pay dividends later in the child's academic development. Because of the fact a child's brain is 90% developed by the age of five (Iowa Department of Education Fact Sheet), it makes clear that early intervention makes tremendous difference. Prior to preschool programming, struggling students were typically identified in need of special education services and planned educational interventions toward the end of kindergarten. This was done only after following a rigorous process of problem solving, intervention, and finally implementation. Consider the impact of early identification and rigorous intervention! Furthermore, our own research here in Hudson suggests students who are identified early in their academic careers are more likely to be 'aged out' of special education programming. Quite simply stated, this means a student who is in a special education program during their primary years may very well not be in a special education program by the time they get to junior high. And keep in mind, the benefits of preschool programming aren't limited to just those students who may be eligible for special education. According to a 2017 study by the Brooking Institute and the Duke Center for Child and Family Policy, (Phillips, D. A., Lipsey, M. W., Dodge, K. A., Haskins, R., Bassok, D., Burchinal, M. R., Duncan, G. J., Dynarski, M., Magnuson, K. A., & Weiland, C.) for every dollar invested in early learning programs, there is a return on investment between $7-$10.

(All Day Preschool, August 10, 2018)

We would support and advocate for all day everyday preschool. While there is no doubt this would require a greater infusion of capital, the research is clear the investment is well worth the dividends it would pay. For certain this would be a heavy lift financially but it can be done. I can remember a time when starting my career we were having a similar conversation about kindergarten. We got that done, and we can do this too!

Supplemental State Aid: What is it and Why it's Important

We are getting to the time of year when the Board of Directors identifies priorities for the upcoming legislative session. While the legislative session isn't set to begin until January of 2020, now is the time when we will begin to advocate with our legislators prior to their arrival in Des Moines. In fact, the board is scheduled to meet with local legislators at our October 21st board meeting. If you can fit it into you schedule, we would love to see you there! Your school board has previously identified their priorities at their regular meeting held on July 15th. Topping the list was timely and adequate supplemental state aid with a formula driven method if it is not set within the statutory deadline.

Supplemental state aid is the percentage by which the state cost per pupil grows annually. The state cost per pupil increase for the year we are currently in was 2.06%, which equates to an increase of $139 (per pupil). That makes Hudson's district cost per pupil $7,045 for this current school year. In order to get to our base budget number, or what we refer to as the regular program district cost we simply multiply the cost per pupil by the number of pupils. It's a relatively straight forward calculation most elementary aged students could figure. Part of the challenge with this system though is the other variable in the equation: the number of students you have. In years when enrollment is up, a 2.06% increase can make a positive overall impact. On the other hand, if enrollment is down, the 2.06% can have a negative impact. In Hudson since we're up, that 2.06% made a positive impact and our regular program district cost grew by $188,647.

Now then, because the enrollment in a school district is so, well arbitrary, it makes it very difficult to determine what 'adequate' actually means. Indeed, adequate truly is in the eye of the beholder and can mean different things to different districts depending on where they are located in the state, what operational costs look like, and most importantly what the enrollment trajectory is. Perhaps that is why this has become such a political decision. Nevertheless, this political decision is where the whole system tends to become stuck. Every. Single. Year. Where the governor makes a recommendation on the supplemental state aid amount, the House and Senate both have the final say. What happened last year is what happens in most years: no one agrees and because of this the final decision is delayed. Granted last year was pretty fast, but they still didn't make the decision in the time frame outlined in Iowa law. The governor's original recommendation (by the way) was for 2.3%, and they ultimately ended up at 2.06%. It is somewhat telling, that all three branches of the state government are of the same political party; and they still had difficulty resolving this issue.

It is very important this decision is not delayed. Gone are the days when this was to be decided 18 months in advance! Now, the decision has to be made less than 6 months before the start of the new fiscal year. Actually it's a bit less than that because they have 30 days after the governor makes a recommendation. That puts the calendar at roughly 5 months before the beginning of a new fiscal year, if everything goes according to plan. 

Here's the thing though. It doesn't have to be like this. If we can't come to basic agreement on what adequate supplemental aid truly should be, which has been tested time and again with this annual back and forth debate that consumes the first half of the legislative session, then we should probably do something different. We would support an incentive to finish the job and finish it timely. How about if an agreement can't be reached a mechanism is established to do it automatically? It could be set at a level that encourages civil dialogue and the urgency to bring the issue to resolution. 

Then the legislature can start working on more important issues. How about we talk about some of them next week?

Open Enrollment

We are so excited to be one of the 'schools of choice' for families who are locating or relocating to the Cedar Valley! So far this year we have welcomed over 30 new Pirates to our galleon under resident student or open enrollment status since August 23rd. 

This is the natural time of year where we field a lot of questions regarding the enrollment of students: who is classified as a resident student, what non-resident students [are], and ultimately how open enrollment works. As a start, resident students are those who live within the boundaries of the Hudson Community School District and do so for the purpose of making a home. In other words, if you are living in the district for the sole purpose of attending school, or living in another district, you are not a resident student and subsequently cannot attend Hudson Schools. 

That is unless you file for open enrollment. Open enrollment is designed as a 'choice option' for students and families that wish to attend another public school outside their resident district. But as most of you know, open enrollment isn't necessarily a slam dunk. As a start, new open enrollment paperwork must be on file in both the receiving and resident district(s) by March 1st (or September 1st for kindergarten students). That means for the school year we are currently in, students who are attending under open enrollment filed that paperwork prior to this past March 1. If that happens, in most cases the receiving school district can unilaterally act to accept that open enrollment application. And by the way once you file and are approved, you don't have to reapply each year. Your open enrollment is valid until you as parent decide that you no longer want to attend that district and instead wish to return to the home (or resident) district. Plus, once you are established under open enrollment, siblings are also automatically granted open enrollment status once they are of school age, so as to not to have children attending in different school districts. 

However, there are a few distinctions where the resident district has to approve the application first. And in many cases these requests are denied.

The first and most common is if the resident district has a voluntary diversity plan. There are five school districts in Iowa with voluntary diversity plans: Davenport, Des Moines, Postville, Waterloo, and West Liberty. Because Hudson is contiguous with Waterloo, the voluntary diversity plan oftentimes comes into play. It is very typical for a family from Waterloo to file open enrollment paperwork from Waterloo to Hudson and then have it denied. Keep in mind, Hudson can only act on an open enrollment application from Waterloo if they first approve it. 

Second, a resident district also has authority to act first if the applicant alleges pervasive harassment. Sometimes a family will file for open enrollment under Iowa's bullying and harassment law, but prior to granting that request, it must be demonstrated that attempts to remedy the situation have been unsuccessful. For example, if the school district has been informed of the allegation, administered discipline to the offending party, and made other accommodations to protect the safety of the student, and the harassment continues; then the resident district can grant open enrollment. However, in cases where open enrollment is proposed as the first option, those applications are typically denied because the district has to first be given the opportunity to remedy the problem. 

Another reason where the resident district is required to act first is if there is a serious health need. Again, the onus on approval rests with the resident district and is usually only considered as a last option. If, after working with the school district a workable solution isn't possible then open enrollment may be granted. Yet like those applicants who want to open enroll due to pervasive harassment, when it is proposed as the first option it is almost always denied.

Open enrollment for pervasive bullying and harassment and a serious health need are both considered 'good cause open enrollment'. Outside those two reasons, school districts do have the authority to grant open enrollment outside the March 1 deadline with no good cause if both school districts agree. This is solely a local decision and incredibly rare, generally contemplated case by case when considering unusual circumstances.

Perhaps to the outside observe this all seems somewhat trivial because at the end of the day students are students, right? If only it were that simple. You see, the distinction is critically important and we are about to start a process of sorting and accounting for all our students: those who are residents attending Hudson, those who are non-residents attending Hudson; those who are residents attending another school district, and on and on. It is important because in Iowa, the amount of funding we have to operate our school is dependent on the number of students we serve in our classrooms. For those students who attend a school other than their resident school: that funding ends up in the other district. This is why we ask the questions we do, and require they paperwork needed for enrollment.

At the end of the day we are honored and humbled that Hudson is your school of choice. We want as many of your children here as we can get. We just need to ensure we do it in the right way. 

School is Now in Session

It takes a lot of people to get kindergarten through the lunch
line at the beginning of the school year!

Well, the first day of school is now in the rear view mirror and routines have, for the most part been established. Yesterday was the last 'first day' when our preschool students started class, so we now have everyone here and are off and running. All systems are basically, normal? Generally when people ask me how the first day of school went, my 'tongue in cheek' response is that I have only three main goals when it comes to the first day of school: get everyone here safely, make sure everyone has lunch, and get everyone home safely. While it may sound as if the bar is relatively low in terms of first day expectations, those three things are pretty big evolutions in a school day. One of the things I have learned from my many years in education is that on the first day of school the buses are never on time, it takes a long time to get kindergarten through the lunch line, and the end of the day can be likened to organized chaos while we make sure all the students get on the right bus. That said, our first day was a success and while it may only seem like yesterday, today marks day 8!

After we get the first day figured out, the expectations increase exponentially. Classroom routines are  practiced and have been established, specials are in full swing, high school schedules are set, and the first sets of assessments are just around the corner. Most importantly, high quality instruction is now underway! Our fall sports seasons have now entered competition with both the football and volleyball teams beginning last week and the first cross country meet of the year scheduled for tomorrow night. We are also super excited to see the return of the fall play this year, which as I understand it, the cast list was announced late last week. You'll want to mark your calendars now, the fall play is scheduled for November 8-9!

The success of our first week and a half of school can largely be attributed to the commitment and long hours put in by our staff. Our custodians had to work late into the evening, on weekends, and even had to put some vacation time on hold to make certain the buildings were ready to go. Our construction workers also had to keep their foot on the gas to ensure construction in the lower elementary was finished before the arrival of the staff. And of course the teachers! When we knew it was going to be close to the deadline for open house, I explained my expectation for that evening. We reassured these teachers the most important thing for students and parents was to meet their teachers, find their locker, and drop off supplies. It mattered not if they had bulletin boards up or rooms fully decorated. It may not have mattered to you or me, but it sure mattered to them. When I walked the halls shortly before 5:00 that evening the rooms looked amazing, by far surpassing expectations!

Enrollment continues to rise at Hudson Schools!

So on our first day of school we opened up with 754 students, an increase of six over the first day last year. At the same time, we had 30 brand new Pirates that started with us on August 23rd. While not an apples to apples comparison, you have to look all the way back to 2006-2007 to see a higher enrollment number. Indeed this is unofficial and will change between now and October 1st, which is the day we will officially lock in the number. It may surprise you to know that enrollment remains fluid. Since starting school we have had a few additions to our student body. This will certainly continue with both additions and subtractions as we make our way to Count Day on October 1st.

In any event, it is great to have our hallways filled with students again! Hope you all have a great year and if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out!

New Faculty Members Hit the Ground Running!

While returning faculty arrived at school on August 20th, those who are new to our system have been here since August 13th. Please take the opportunity to help these new members of our community feel welcomed when you see them around the district!

Jason Bedard A native of Dunkerton, Mr. Bedard has previous served as a substitute teacher in both Cedar Falls and Dunkerton. He earned his physical education, health, and coaching endorsements at the University of Northern Iowa and will be teaching junior high and high school physical education this year, along with some basketball coaching. He enjoys being outdoors and played club baseball four years at UNI. An avid traveler, he also wants everyone to know he is a huge St. Louis Cardinals fan. Mr. Bedard is eager to meet everyone in the district and start his first year teaching and is excited to be part of the Pirate community.

Olivia Andera Not entirely brand new, you may recall seeing Mrs. Andera in the high school last year where she taught physical education part of the year. This year, Mrs. Andera moves across the street to the elementary where she will work in grades K-8. Olivia earned her Bachelor degree from Winnona State University and is endorsed in physical education. Married almost two years, Olivia and husband Jordan live in Cedar Falls with their  dog Maxx. She enjoys the outdoors, working out, and watching a good college basketball game. Olivia is excited to introduce the new bicycle program called 'Riding for Focus', that Hudson was selected to participate in after a rigorous grant writing process.

Jessica Philipp Miss Philip will be joining our preschool faculty this year and earned her degree at the University of Northern Iowa. With endorsements in PK-3 and special education she will be a great fit for this program. Prior to her arrival at Hudson, Miss Philip worked as lead teacher and school age teacher at A to Z Learning Center and Daycare. A pet lover with both a dog named Knightrider and cat named Zeus, she is committed to a healthier lifestyle and enjoys exploring, among her favorite places is Maquoketa Caves State Park. She is excited to get started and can't wait to embrace what it means to be a Hudson Pirate!

Kori Koop Recently earning her Masters of Counseling-School Counselor, Mrs. Koop is thrilled to begin her career at Hudson. She and her husband farm just outside the district and tells us her favority animal is a cow and she has a small her of cows and calves at home. She enjoys being outside hiking, biking, running, boating, or just enjoying a good book on the deck.

Mariah Lynch A May graduate of the University of Northern Iowa, we are thrilled to have Mrs. Lynch join us for a long term substitute teaching assignment for Mrs. Nolte. Originally from Dike-New Hartford, Mariah was married this past June. Coming from a family of educators, she has a sister who teaches first grade at AGWSR, and her mom teaches middle school right here at Hudson! She is excited to get started and having student taught in a third grade classroom she is thrilled to be able to jump back into this grade level. She wants everyone to know she has a great team to work with and has already met so many wonderful people!

Sandi Fribley Mrs. Fribley was prepared at Iowa State University and will be teaching family and consumer sciences for both Hudson and North Tama this year. Prior to her arrival in Hudson, Mrs. Fribley taught 29 years at Oskaloosa Middle School. Originally hailing from Gladbrook, she is excited to be close to family who still live in the area. She and her husband are parents to two four legged 'kids' and enjoy many outdoor activities including biking, hiking, kayaking, cross country skiing, and snow shoeing. She also enjoys DIY projects and baking. They also enjoy watching the Cylcones and Minnesota Wild. She is looking forward to becoming part of the Hudson school family and working with our  high school students.

Doctrina. Ingenium. Patentiam operatur.

Scholarship. Character. Perseverance. Three words I hope encapsulate the year in which we are about to embark. Included here is the text of the convocation address to the faculty and staff as we kicked off the school year on August 20th. 

Welcome back! Hopefully you all had a chance to enjoy some vacation time this summer. I enjoyed seeing social media posts about your many adventures and travels. I especially enjoyed Mr. Haskovec’s posts about a recent fishing trip with his family.  Did you know that Mr. and Mrs. Haskovec’s oldest, Anna is starting high school this year? Man they grow up fast! I’ll bet it seems like only yesterday she was starting kindergarten. That sure was a quick 10 years. Wayne, I hope your girls always enjoy a fishing expedition with you!

When I began to think about this day, coming up with an appropriately motivational theme was a challenge. That’s because everything we did last year was truly exceptional. And not just by the fact we missed eleven days of school!  You see, it was exceptional because of the work you did and the impact it had on our students. So it was with the bar already set so high I began to contemplate the question, can we top that? Can we really ‘one up’ ourselves? Using that rhetoric as the basis of my reflection, I have come to the conclusion that we can. 

That’s because each day provides a new opportunity. We should strive to use the gift of that opportunity to improve ourselves, our school, and most importantly the students we serve. Yes, last year was exceptional in almost every way. But that was last year. For certain, we can’t view our accomplishments of this extraordinary year as a high water mark, but instead a foundation on which to build the future. We can’t live in the past, and for certain can’t move forward if we keep looking over our shoulder at the good old days. But our past does provide us with historical perspective, so I’d like to take you back a bit. But a bit further than just one year.

Like Anna, this July 1st marked the beginning of my 10th year at Hudson. It is hard to believe the time has flown by so fast! Further; it is unbelievable in and of itself because; well I wasn’t really supposed to be here. Some of you know this story because you have been here as long as or longer than I, so please bear with me because there are parts you probably don’t know. But, when I look out at this gathering of 65 teachers, 20 paraprofessionals, 12 bus drivers, 6 administrative assistants and 6 maintenance department staff—more than half of you weren’t here 10 years ago . This shift in the demographic makeup of our staff in and of itself most certainly offers a testament to the passage of time.

The story goes a little like this. Way back when studying to be a superintendent, those of us in the program [at that time] were eligible for licensure after completing about half the requirements. As soon as I was eligible I began to apply for superintendent positions. And the opportunities to interview were plentiful. I’m quite certain that had more to do with a search firms ability to talk school boards into listening to what I had to say than to my acumen as a school executive. Needless to say I wasn’t all that successful. But I wouldn’t claim total failure either because in the majority of cases I was making it to the finals. I think that was probably the one fact that kept me in the game, because it could be a bit discouraging! This went on for almost two years, through me gaining full licensure. Upon reflection, I am uncertain what the final count was leading up to Hudson but it was well over a dozen interviews. At one point I had an advisor who thought I might be better served if I took an interim step as a public school principal. You see prior to all this, my entire career had been spent in the parochial system. That is a whole other story I’ll save for another time. 

Then Hudson came along. Even though it was somewhat late in the hiring season I knew it was going to be a long shot and a highly competitive position. In my opinion this was a great job then, and is a great job now. Geographically there aren’t too many places more appealing in Iowa. The research I did prior to the interview suggested a school district rich in tradition and a community that took great pride in their schools. So when the call came to interview I was excited about the opportunity. But when I made the finals and there were two remaining candidates, I started to get that uneasy feeling: here we go again, second place. Yet after that second interview I felt very good! I mean, I wasn’t ‘measuring the draperies’—but felt this would be a really good fit for [Ann and I] and the school district. 

Well, I didn’t get the job! Once again I came in second! The weird thing though was this time I was devastated. You see I hadn’t really felt that way about any of the other positions where I had come in second, but for some reason this one really stung. I suppose a lot of it had to do with the fact that I didn’t really want any of those other jobs. 

Obviously you all know the ending because I am standing here right now, but here is where the story takes an unusual turn—the part most of you don’t know—and where I believe destiny intervened. See, in an effort to ‘keep my powder dry’, I still had an interview scheduled in another district. But the thing was, I was so busy feeling sorry for myself that I almost canceled it. Frankly it was in a part of the state that I wasn’t at all interested in living, but I was so intent on being a superintendent I forced myself to follow through. Now, customarily spouses accompany the candidate on the interview, but this time I told Ann to stay home because I needed some time to wallow in my own self-pity and had all but given up. I was merely going through the motions.

Well, I went through that interview and thought the people were nice and all, but my heart just wasn’t in it. I gave pretty blunt answers to their questions and provided some advice that I knew wouldn’t be all that popular in the community. When I got in the car to head home I couldn’t put that school district in the rear view mirror fast enough. I was about an hour into the two hour drive home when my phone rang and they offered me the job.

Luckily they gave me the weekend to think about their offer. I won’t bore you with all the details, but there were multiple conversations between myself and that search firm over that weekend as we haggled over the contract that was being proposed. Ann and I had discussed the pros and cons at length and after a lot of soul-searching we decided to take the position. As it stood, I would relocate to the district while we kept our house in Marion, and each weekend I would commute home. It wasn’t an ideal scenario but one I felt was necessary in order to advance my career. As you all know, getting your first job is the hardest. But on the eve of accepting that job the board president from Hudson called to tell me their candidate was withdrawing. I was being called up off the bench. Was I still interested? That was a little more than ten years ago.

A lot has happened in the intervening decade. As I stated before, many new faces: 54% of the faculty, 89% of paraprofessionals, 83% of the maintenance staff, 50% of office staff. But at the same time a lot remains the same. 

Inevitably each spring the same questions begin to emerge. Will I leave? I’m uncertain [those of you who] ask this question do so because you go to bed praying each night that I will [go] or won’t, although I am not naïve enough to understand there is a bit of both. Truthfully I wasn’t expected to be here this long. After I finished my doctorate in 2015 I assumed Hudson would be another fading memory at this point in my career. And for sure there have been opportunities. Some of them you know about, others you don’t. Frankly I don’t know what the future holds. If the right opportunity came up I might be persuaded to carefully consider it; again I learned a long time ago to ‘keep my powder dry’. But for the last several years when those annual phone calls from search firms came, I politely declined. The primary reason: You.

See, you may not always believe it, but I genuinely like you. I like your work ethic. I like this town and the people in it. I love this school and am honored to wear Pirate blue. And I am so proud of what you have accomplished!

So what have you accomplished? Without identifying construction or many of our facility upgrades because that would be too easy, I believe there to be three major accomplishments of the last decade.

The first was the connected learning initiative in 2013. We believed at the time, and to this day in fact, that connected learning is the most significant change to schooling for our current generation of students. What is now a ubiquitous learning environment spanning grades 3-12 started out in the high school that cold January so long ago.  I want to remind you all; the decision to put the power of the world’s vast knowledge in the hand of our students was made—by you. Mr. Dieken walked into a meeting on a warm day in October and posed to you a question. He told you connected learning would not in any way make your jobs any easier. The fact was, he told you—your job was going to become a lot harder (and it did). Then he put the decision in your hands and walked out of the room. A half hour later you came to his office and said ‘let’s do it’. 

Second, and about a year later you became pioneers when launching one of the first in the state comprehensive teacher leadership programs. With this system, we have been able to harness your collective wisdom and leadership skills to improve instruction in our classrooms. Since the inception of this ambitious enterprise, you have thrown open your classroom doors and begun to collaborate with one another in ways that were unheard of by your predecessors. Truth be told, in the beginning filling our positions was difficult. As you know our model relies on core instructional leadership positions that mirror district-wide initiatives: technology, numeracy, and literacy. At its inception, we had no one interested in taking on the literacy position. If it hadn’t been for Mrs. Engels getting us through that first year our teacher leadership system would probably look very different than it does today. Considering the importance of literacy it is without equivocation our district owes Mrs. Engels a debt of gratitude.

Finally and most recently we expanded the scope of our educational services with the introduction of the statewide voluntary preschool program. Recognizing our community demographic was changing along with the needs of young families, and the fact we had an inherent belief we can best serve our own students right here at home, a long an arduous journey began. Mr. Schaltter doesn’t really give himself enough credit, because he is the one who made certain we dotted all the ‘i’s and crossed all the ‘t’s. Perhaps the most critical of questions was who would lead this effort from the classroom. The answer came in the most unlikeliest of people when [then] Miss Cartney expressed her interest. I don’t think Sara knew how skeptical I was of this idea. Here we had [at that time] a second year teacher who was finishing only her first year at Hudson. She was literally signing up to have her third teaching assignment in as many years as an educator; and this assignment would include launching a brand new program that none of us had any experience with. It worked out great because we gained full accreditation this last spring.

All of these things and numerous other accomplishments happened because you had a hand in them. You chose to do the work. Whether you were here at the beginning, have been here a few years, or are new this year—all of you have a vital role to play.

As for me? I am just thankful to have been along for the ride. That is the reason I am still here after 10 years. Because of you and what you do…in service to our pupils.

Today the accomplishments and changes to our district are readily apparent. You can see them by looking out the window. You can touch them when walking down the hall. Hopefully you can feel it when you walk in the door each morning to go to work. Indeed the future is bright for our school district, but it is not the bricks and mortar that make us shine! It is instead because of the people that make up our organization. 

The teachers who teach.
The paras who assist.
The administrators who lead.
The bus drivers who transport our children.
The maintenance department who makes our facilities safe and clean.
The administrative assistants who run the schools.
The cooks who feed our children.
Mrs. Brandhorst who keeps them healthy.

But most importantly, the children who fill our classrooms. Those families that entrust in us to act, ‘in parentis locum’. Especially those families who rely on us—when we can’t always rely on them. So what’s it like for those families? So what of those youngsters and what happens to them?

Think about this: In 2010 our poverty rate as measured by free and reduced lunch was 19.1%. Today it has risen to 28.6%.

Of all the changes that have occurred over the last decade, the one constant has been our mission, our Core Purpose, or our guiding light: We Create Effective Learning Environments that Result in Success for ALL students. 

All truly means all. All students. All families. All faculty. And all staff. Our district initiatives remain the anchor: literacy, numeracy, and technology. Growth and improvement in these areas will certainly give our youngsters the tools necessary to be successful later in life. And at the same time, our students will be carefully watching us for cues in how we work with one another—because they are always watching. How we treat one another. Our young scholars will also look to us to see our character, and hopefully the humanity with which we treat one another. 

Last year the imagery I selected as theme for this convocation address was that of a marigold. I challenged you all to be marigolds for one another and to avoid those among us who are walnuts. I was heartened throughout the year with those acts of kindness you imparted on one another and your diligence in keeping this symbolism fresh throughout the year. This year I challenge you to take it one step further. What I ask of you will be hard. But the fact is if we really want to grow our garden of marigolds then we must do what we tell our students to do: Be up-standers and call out those who are walnuts.

This is where your character will show. Oftentimes, bullies are bullies when no one is looking. They’ll do it when the teacher turns around. They’ll do it in a crowded hallway or in the bathroom when the adult has their attention focused elsewhere. Sure, we’ll investigate and administer the appropriate discipline—when we have evidence and corroboration. But sometimes we do not. In spite of the fact that almost always—there are witnesses. We continually tell our student by-standers to not merely be witnesses, but to be up-standers and call out bullies in their ranks. I ask you to set that same example for your students. When you see a walnut, identify it and help root it out. We will only grow our garden of marigolds if you can help us hold one another accountable. 

As I mentioned before, I view our connected learning program, teacher leadership, and preschool as three water shed moments of the last decade for this school district. These are the pathways through which our key district initiatives drive: literacy, numeracy, and technology. If we want to create effective learning environments that result in success for all students, then it stands to reason we must ensure the pathways we rely on for improved student learning and scholarship are functioning as designed. This year, we will spend time sharpening the saw that is our teacher leadership system. Is it performing as envisioned? Are we missing anything? What can we do better? Then as we prepare to replace the fleet of connected learning devices it will be appropriate to consider how best to move this important work forward. 

It is important to note the task which we are about to embark on is anything but easy. As the saying goes, anything in life that is worth it is hard, challenging, and will include moments when we want to throw in the towel. There will certainly be times your instructional strategy doesn’t work; you will feel as though you are a marigold in a sea of walnuts; or the students, well they just don’t listen very well. 

When this happens persevere: Find the instructional strategy that does work because the young scholars trusted to your care are counting on it. Let that walnut know the character of your being when you tell them you are not interested in them planting roots in your garden—because your room and our school are a place of learning and joy. Set an example for your students by distinguishing between elevation and degradation. Spread kindness and benevolence rather than rumor and innuendo. 

And above all continue to persevere, because when you least expect it the breakthrough you have been waiting for will materialize. The light bulb will come on for that child because the ‘next strategy’ finally worked. 

I may be 10 years into this thing, but feel like we are just getting started! Have a great start to the school year and thank you for being here. 

Our Core Purpose

If you have ever looked for a mission statement for the Hudson Community School District, you probably haven't had very good luck. Mission statements are usually designed to encapsulate the ultimate aspirations of the organization and have a lot of flowery words. They can be very useful if people actually know what they are and what they mean. While we do have one, I typically don't spend a whole lot of time reflecting on, or draw too much attention to the mission statement. It may take a little searching on your part, but it can be found on page 9 of the student handbook:

"It is the mission of the Hudson Community School District to develop responsible individuals with the skills and commitment to pursue their potential in an ever-changing society by providing a secure, nurturing environment for learning in partnership with the greater community."

It's quite a mouthful, isn't it? Truth be told, I doubt very many people in our district know the missions statement, what it truly means, [or even what it is] or where they can find it. Admittedly every time I need the mission statement for something I have to look it up myself. Then I have to spend about five minutes dissecting it to get at the true essence of what it means: prepare our students to be productive citizens in an ever changing environment. Keep in mind that is my interpretation. You may read that mission statement and arrive at a wholly different conclusion. Perhaps this entire discussion about our lack of a living, breathing mission statement is a failure of leadership. If that be the case, I'll certainly own that and work harder to ensure that mission is, and becomes a part of the fabric that is our district. I doubt that to be the case though. If' I'm wrong please let me now. That's because I'm pretty sure if you don't know what our mission statement is, you most certainly know our Core Purpose:

"We Create Effective Learning Environments That Result in Success for ALL students."

This statement can also be found on page 9 of our student handbook, is also in our faculty handbook, and can be found on the school website. Further, it is posted in almost every instructional space throughout the district, and if you ask our employees what our mission statement is, they more than now will recite this statement. Perhaps the greatest legacy left for me by my predecessors, the Core Purpose has stood the test of time, is durable, and well known. It says everything we need to know about our mission statement, and is really what our mission statement means. If we do our jobs as educators, students will find success. In what? School as a start. Then whatever comes next. 

Yesterday was the first day of work for our new teachers. In addition to starting a new career they are transitioning from college life to a very noble career. Indeed they are well prepared in pedagogy, have a toolbox full of instructional strategies, and are incredibly excited to welcome students into their classrooms in just a little more than a week from now. With license in hand they are fully capable of educating our youth. They are teachers  and know how to teach.

This week though, they learn about what it means to be a teacher at Hudson. And that; well that flows from our Core Purpose. They will learn that we value robust professional development programs that are designed to sharpen their skill set because creating effective learning environments is a task that we have to work at each and every day. What works today may not work tomorrow. 

The Core Purpose can be traced back several administrations and has been modified only one time: that one time was to add emphasis to the work 'all'. So when we are ensuring that we are creating effective learning environments, we mean effective learning environments for every student. Every day.