Hudson Schools Designated 'High Performing'

One week ago Tuesday the Iowa Department of Education released 'embargoed' access to the Iowa School Performance Profiles for each school and district in the state. They embargo this data to give school districts time to review the results, prepare their own individual press releases and to provide context to stakeholders. You can read the press release from the Iowa Department of Education here. It also gives us an opportunity to share the results internally with our faculty and staff. Frankly it is good practice since the state wants to ensure schools have the opportunity to evaluate the rankings before being asked for comment from one of the local media outlets. But, it has forced me to keep a secret from you all for over a week now. A secret that I have been really excited to share with you! First some background.

Each school in Iowa is designated in one of six categories: Priority, Needs Improvement, Acceptable, Commendable, High Performing, or Exceptional. Those schools designated as either 'Priority' or 'Needs Improvement' are identified as not meeting federal guidelines for accountability purposes and  will receive either targeted or comprehensive assistance. I am very excited to report to you that both our K-6 and 7-12 attendance centers have been designated as 'High Performing' schools as outlined and defined in the Iowa School Performance Profile for the purposes of federal and state accountability standards. 

There are multiple data sets that are used to determine a schools overall ranking; and each indicator is weighted based on guidelines determined by the Department of Education which are in alignment with the federal 'Every Student Succeeds Act'. While it is true a large portion of the ranking is tied back to the ISASP test that was taken for the first time last year, it is not all about proficiency scores. Rankings are determined by measuring participation rate, academic achievement (includes proficiency and average scale score), student growth, progress toward English language proficiency (those who's native language isn't English), conditions toward learning, and at the high school level; graduation rate.  

Truth be told, we didn't really know what to expect when anticipating these results. This past April was the first time we gave the brand new Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress. A significant departure from the previous 'fill in the bubble' Iowa Assessments, we were all told the test would be more difficult, of higher rigor, and more closely aligned to the Iowa Core Academic Standards. When we asked how best to prepare our students for the test, the only answer was to make sure we were teaching the standards at levels that asked them [students] to do much more than simply memorize or recall answers. So we did. Administered completely online, students were now asked to do much more than simply fill in a bubble. They had to reason, explain, and even defend their answers. When administering the tests, we were surprised to find that some portions of the test took much longer than anticipated. So it was with some trepidation we first received the results this fall. Indeed we were pleasantly surprised!

As you can see from the table here, the top two tiers of ratings; High Performing and Exceptional comprise only 17.1% of all schools in Iowa. What is even more exciting for me is to see the growth that has occurred over the years since this system has been in place. In the years since the Iowa Report Card or Iowa School Performance Profile has been utilized, our elementary attendance center has increased their raw score year after year. This is a true testament to the hard work of everyone involved, their diligence in ensuring each student is exposed to high quality instruction that is aligned to the content standards, and most importantly; the work that is being done with regard to professional development is truly paying off. The same is true with regard to our 7-12 grade attendance center. There is no doubt what we are doing is working. 

Finally, it's important to provide some context in these scores because invariably we need to know how we stack up. For example, if everyone is 'High Performing', what is the point? I do encourage you to go to the website and see the results for yourself. If you have questions, please don't hesitate to reach out. There is no doubt we have room to grow and will be taking a deeper dive in the coming weeks to highlight our areas for potential growth and target them for improvement. That said, in a comparison of the 23 conference elementary schools included in my analysis, Hudson Elementary ranked 6th. In a comparison of 16 high schools in the conference, Hudson High School ranked...1st. 

It's good to be a Pirate!

Adequacy of SSA is Dependent on Enrollment Trend (Sort of)

It just wouldn't feel like January if I didn't recognize the fact our state legislature is now in session! The second session of the 88th general assembly of the Iowa legislature kicked off last Monday, January 13th. As is normal in Iowa, we had to deal with winter weather on top of that, so everything is as it should be, right? The first week of the session is somewhat similar to the first day of school. Legislators who haven't seen one another since last spring are able to catch up with friends and visit with them about what they did on their summer vacation. And of course there is a lot of ceremony that goes with the beginning of the legislative session. On Tuesday we heard from Governor Reynolds as she delivered her Condition of the State address; Wednesday from Acting Chief Justice of the Iowa Supreme Court Justice David Wiggins, and on Thursday the Condition of the National Guard by Major General Ben Corell.

While all presentations were important for Iowans to hear, I was most interested in the governor's address since it is during this speech she outlines her priorities for the session. The most important of those being her proposal for school aid (in my opinion). The technical term is Supplemental State Aid, which you have heard me speak of many times before. Specifically, this is the rate of growth for the state cost per pupil. This year, the governor called for an increase of 2.5% in the state cost per pupil. In this scenario, the state cost per pupil would rise by $172, going from $6,875 to $7,052. Far from a done deal, the full legislature will have the final word. But hopefully they won't take too long since by law, they have 30 days to get a final bill to the governor for her signature. That would put the deadline at February 14th. Happy Valentine's Day! 

At the same time, and for the next month, you will hear much argument about the adequacy of that number. The debate will be fierce and partisan. Whether or not you believe 2.5% is adequate depends a lot on perspective, where you live in the state, and very importantly; what your enrollment is (and how that compares to last year). All said though, here is one important fact about the growth rate of the state cost per pupil: In the decade between 2000-2010, the per pupil growth rate increased at an average rate of 3.6%. In the last decade, the growth rate has averaged 1.76%. Regardless of the variables, it is difficult to argue that an average over the decade that has barely kept up with inflation is adequate.

Of the 333 school district in the state, that proposed 2.5% means something different to each one. Whether or not it is adequate turns largely on the other side of the equation. That variable is enrollment. The fact is, there isn't a whole lot a school district can do about their enrollment trend, particularly if you are in a rural area of the state where a lot of jobs don't exist. On the other hand, if you are in a school district that is growing, a 2.5% increase in the cost per pupil rate coupled with those new students can make quite a difference. Unfortunately there aren't a lot of those in Iowa. But in that case, the trick is ensuring you aren't outgrowing the growth factor. If a school district has to hire a lot of additional staff in order to manage the enrollment growth, it probably means the growth in cost per pupil isn't enough, much the same as it isn't enough if the district is in declining enrollment.

I am uncertain most people, legislators included, understand the impact enrollment has on a school's budget. The fact is, I believe it is the most important thing! Let's think about how the proposed 2.5% will impact Hudson Schools. The basic equation is number of students multiplied by the cost per pupil. For Hudson, that would mean our regular program district cost for next year would increase by $212,714, from $4,863,868 to $5,076,582. Considering our enrollment growth, we can make this work. But what if, for example our enrollment hadn't grown? While the per pupil rate would have been the same, the equally important part of the equation remains static. This time, the total increase would be $188,506, from $4,863,868 to $4,982,617. While a roughly $24,000 difference may not seem like a lot when millions of dollars are at stake; it is worth noting that in a district the size of Hudson we are anticipating roughly $24,000 in costs next year to implement a new math curriculum. 

Nevertheless, the static enrollment example mentioned above does not paint a rosy picture. In many schools in Iowa, districts aren't experiencing growth in enrollment. They are experiencing decreasing enrollment. And the number they are decreasing aren't by a small amount. If a district our size had an enrollment decrease of just 10 students, that same 2.5% increase just became $48,639. Then, it becomes very hard to make the budget work without considering budget adjustments.

We are very luck in Hudson right now because our enrollment is moving in the right direction. But, we have been on the other side of that coin too. 

Looking Back at 2019

It is always interesting when we start the new calendar year to take a look back at the year that was. This type of reflection on some of the bigger milestones or news stories of the past year gives us not only the opportunity to remember fondly those big news stories, or even to provide perspective into where we currently find ourselves; but to gain insight and experience when faced with a similar set of circumstances. The few events I have selected are very localized and from my perspective, so if you would like to share something different I would love to hear from you! What do you think were the biggest events in the Hudson Community School District in 2019? With that said, today seems like a great day to offer my take on 2019, particularly considering what happened one year ago today on January 15, 2019! So here we go! 

From time to time people have questions about how decisions are made when it comes to cancelling or delaying the start of the school day. I'll be happy to share with you that process here in a couple of weeks. But before we go there, remember last winter? That was really one for the books! If you recall, I wrote about it in a post titled 'Unprecedented' on February 20. 

Last winter started out much the same as this year, but admittedly a bit milder in the run up to present day. Numerous people have mentioned to me how nice it has been that we haven't had any snow days or other weather related disruptions to our school calendar. I agree, it has been nice. But it may surprise you to know that we had our very first weather event last year (a late start) on January 15, 2019. We went on that winter to have a total of 19 school days that were impacted by weather, including a week long stretch where the snow and cold were so bad we weren't able to hold classes. In fact, it was the one time in my career that I had to take the extraordinary step of not only cancelling classes but closing the buildings to all employees. You may remember Hudson Road was closed between Cedar Falls and Hudson and numerous cars ended up stranded on the highway. After we resumed operations, it took several days for the tow companies to move all the cars in from the highway. I remember Freedom Park looked like a used car lot! Many of those days were easy calls to make; unlike today when we had a very difficult needle to thread indeed! While the winter of 2019 may not have been the biggest story of our year it probably is the most timely for this reflection!

So what was the biggest news story of the year, you may ask? I would argue that Phase III of the elementary renovation project was the biggest project we embarked on for the year. The first major construction project since the high school was built, this $5.1 million project was approved by the board last winter. After more than a year of planning and soliciting community feedback, the centerpiece of this project will include a newly remodeled and expanded commons and media center. It will encompass a secure entrance and relocate the elementary offices to this new addition. Obviously these are the biggest and most visual components of the remodel, but when completed by the time school starts this fall, our elementary school will have been completely remodeled and renovated. You have to remember, with this being Phase III, Phases I and II came before them. I wrote about the benefits of this in my January 8, 2019 blog post titled, ‘Phase III Checks a Lot of Boxes’. I look forward to sharing more updates on the progress of this project as we continue the march toward our grand opening!

A very big deal every year of course is our graduation ceremonies. Held on May 19, this annual right of passage is the point of each and every school year. The Class of 2019 was a great class with numerous achievements and accolades. Earning over $600,000 in scholarships at their Senior Awards Assembly earlier in the lead up to their graduation, this class lived up to their potential and set the stage for the Class of 2020 to leave their mark. In my final words of advice to the Class, I reminded them to make certain they got everything the could out of each day.

While the end of the school year is an important milestone in the cycle of a school year, the beginning of the school year is equally important. Part of this cycle of newness is welcoming the new members of our faculty, who hit the ground running on August 23. A blend of positions that were replacements for faculty that have moved on to other positions, faculty that have been added due to growing enrollment, or temporary teachers that were hired to fill in for a short time; all have been doing a fantastic job in their role and we are happy to have them on our team.

So that leads us to today! What will be the big stories of our district in 2020? It sure will be exciting to find out!

My Word is Connect

One week ago today the calendar page turned not just on a new year, but a new decade. It is during these times that we all reflect on the year that has been and set goals for the year that is now in front of us. We are treated to magazines, newspaper articles, and television programs touting the 'biggest news stories of the year'; and commercials that advertise exercise machines and other products promising to improve our lives and help us meet our resolutions. You all know me well enough now to know that I'm not a big resolution guy, but instead like to focus on the 'One Word', so I'll get to that in a few minutes. To remind you, my word last year was 'Disconnect'. It was my desire to move away from electronic devices when not at work. Once I got home in the evening, I would put my stuff in my office and leave my phone on my desk. That is not to say I completely abandoned my gear when I got home, because that probably wouldn't be wise. A couple of times an evening I would  (and will) check my phone to see if there were any texts or email messages that needed to be addressed, but for the large part I left what I could to the next day. As the year wore on, I began physically shutting off my email for the weekend and when on vacation. While I couldn't say that I was completely disconnected, I believe it was a huge improvement compared to my previous practice and and for the most part it was quite liberating! Especially when on vacation somewhere and not feeling like I needed to sneak a look at my phone (while somewhere not here). I do intend to continue this practice.

This year though, I choose the work 'Connect'. Obviously I don't mean connecting to the devices I have tried so hard to disconnect from; because that would be, well a little silly and counterproductive. Instead, I believe I will try harder to connect with the people in my life. You see, what I have come to realize as this calendar page has turned to a new year, a new decade, is that time goes by very fast. If we aren't careful, before we know it another decade will have flown by and we will all be ten years older. I feel like I'm always in a hurry to get to the next place: a meeting in the high school, an appointment at the AEA, on my way to meet with colleagues about a new initiative. Because of this hurried pace, there is no doubt I miss out on quite a bit of what is going on around me. Have you ever felt like you were the last person to know something? Yeah, me too. 

Here's the thing that I hope all of us can think about, particularly those of us in education. Our jobs as educators rely on our ability to connect with our students. It is particularly important to understand that, at the end of the day not all our students go home to the same environments that we do; and that leads to a disconnect. Sure, it's frustrating when that young person doesn't turn in their homework on time, or just flat out doesn't do it. Sometimes though, it may help to connect with that student and build a relationship. We just may find out the reason they didn't get that homework done was because they had to spend the night taking care of younger siblings, feeding them, making them feel safe, and wondering when their parent might be home (if at all). While that understanding and relationship building may not erase the fact that something is amiss, at a minimum it can provide us with context. 

The same holds true for those of us in leadership. Part of my role as superintendent is not only overseeing the educational program, but leading the adults in our organization. There are approximately 135 folks who collect a paycheck from this school district. I'm sad to say that I don't know some of them all that well. What I do know is they all come to us with a different perspective and challenges in their lives. It would be naive to assume those experiences and challenges are the same as mine. Unfortunately we have some members of our team here who are going through some pretty rough times right now. Further, the employees in this organization are all in very different places in their lives, and some of the changes they are experiencing right now are of the stuff we experienced in our early 20s! Think about this: I have employees who one or two years ago were college students. Now they are married and expecting children, with a full time job and all the responsibilities that go along with that!

So this year I want to connect. When I meet people in the hallway on my hurried pace to where ever it is, when we greet each other with a 'How is it going?': to really mean it.