A Final Note Before You Vote

I'd like to start by sharing my immense gratitude for the ways in which our parents and community have rallied around our school district this fall. Given all the unknowns around the pandemic, you nonetheless placed your trust in us to educate and care for your children and partnered with us as we have navigated the countless challenges we have faced since this journey began. 

I think we can also agree that on top of a tougher than usual fall due to COVID, we are experiencing one of the more contentious political races that I can remember. One of the things that makes this democratic-republic great is the freedom to choose what we believe and then become advocates for that change. Healthy discussions around the diverse values that make up our great country are always a good thing!

However, it can become problematic when comments or discussions go beyond the ability of young children to process. Children are like sponges. While they may appear to be busy playing a game, or hanging out in front of a television, often they are listening, intently, to what their parents are discussing. Whenever my grandchildren visit, the television is never tuned to the news or any outlet engages in political opinion. (It's usually tuned to cartoons or something else that isn't all that interesting for me to watch. My football game watching usually goes by the wayside. But I digress...)

My challenge to all of us is to reflect on how we speak about important topics such as politics. Blunt language, sarcasm, personal attacks, and even unproductive venting can have lasting effects on how our children view the world. Consider whether you are advocating from anger or purpose. Anger seeks division. Purpose seeks win-win solutions.

For many people, there will be great joy in the outcome of our presidential election. For others, there may be great disappointment, sadness, and even fear. Know that we will continue to educate your children with great professionalism and do our best to reassure them that they are still our greatest hope for the future. Let's show kids the best of us and model for them how to debate and advocate for the sake of unity. My personal belief is that our children need that now more than ever. 

So, today we are one week from Election Day, or as it has become this most unusual of years one week from the 'last day to vote'. If you voted early, great! Ann and I did, and we were able to verify our votes had been received in the County Auditor's office by visiting the Secretary of State's website. You can do the same right here. If you haven't voted yet, please do so or make plans to do so on Election Day. 

In closing, I am heartened to know that there is still hope for civility in our politics and the recognition that even those who have sharply opposing political views can model their advocacy in a way that can inspire our nation. Consider this PSA that jointly released by the two candidates squaring off in the Utah governor's race:

I’m not sure this has ever been done before...but as our national political dialogue continues to decline, my opponent @PetersonUtah and I decided to try something different. We can disagree without hating each other. Let’s make Utah an example to the nation. #StandUnited #utpol pic.twitter.com/Tkr2sDCYTB

— Spencer Cox (@SpencerJCox) October 20, 2020

Living in Fantasy Land

We have a lot of distractions in our lives that I think sometimes leads us to believe we are something that we are not. Those distractions come in many forms. From the television that we watch, the video games that we play, or the way we self-indulge in whatever social media platform is the latest trend. So what do those distractions cause us to believe? Well perhaps they lead us to illusions of grandeur. A professional athlete. A famous actor or musician. The next social media darling on Tik Tok. Dare I say, professional bull rider? Look, I think it's great to have lofty goals and aspirations. I think all of us at some point in our lives have dreams and fantasies of fame and fortune. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that! But at the same time I also think it is important to stay grounded and to have a firm grasp on what it really takes to have a fulfilling and  happy life. 

Mine (illusions of fame and fortune) came late in high school and during my undergraduate years of college. While I went to college to major in music education, in reality becoming a teacher was my backup plan. What I really wanted to do was perform. And not just perform, but become famous. I know, it's laughable right? But at the time I really believed I could do it. The 'plan' was that after graduating from college, I'd move to Nashville. A group of 3 college buddies who had the same aspirations that I did started performing locally, and before we knew it we were starting to get attention. And by attention I mean the right kind of attention....No not record producers or agents...girls! We really enjoyed the attention and the encouragement, which naturally fed our egos. We talked a big game and made plans, but then reality struck. The promise of a steady paycheck was just too good to pass up.

My illusions of grandeur were over. Needless to say I am sometimes left with the musings of  'what if'. Could it possibly have turned out that instead of me sitting here writing this blog, you would be hearing me on the radio? Doubtful. In the intervening decades I have come to realize that my skills as a musician are what I like to describe as 'technical mastery'. In other words, I am no artist.

But at the same time, the true story is almost as unbelievable. If you would have told that 20 year old kid that someday he would have a terminal degree and be a superintendent of a school district, he would have laughed at you. Then he would pick up his guitar and covered a Garth Brooks standard. In that time that has long past me by I have come to realize that I really wouldn't have it any other way. I have a loving family and living a great life. In many ways I have that dream job (albeit without the fame and fortune). 

Deep down I always knew that my backup plan to be a teacher was no back up plan at all. I do think a career in education was always my destiny. To have the kind of impact on young people that my own teachers had on me as a teacher. I have shared many of these stories with your right here over the years so I am certain you understand. The fact remains though, there is one key to success. One way that dreams can become a reality. That key is education. Every step forward in the advancement of my career has been made possible through education. You can achieve your goals in life by studying hard, learning to think critically about the problems you face, maintaining focus, and staying grounded.

Those 3 buddies of mine? Well, they didn't move off to Nashville either. Although one did move to New York City and worked in the entertainment industry for awhile, although not as a performer so you haven't heard him on the radio either. We are scattered around the country, really living the American dream. This due in no small part to the education that we received. I am incredibly grateful for those memories and the times I spent as a youngster dreaming about the possibilities of hitting it big. Oh, the stories I could tell (and the fun that we had)! And sorry; before you ask, those stories aren't we'll suited for this venue! I still have that guitar though, it's in a closet at home, and like my piano it is gathering dust. I suppose at some point I had better start getting my 'chops' back in shape. It pays to have a backup plan. 

Candidates for Office: What's Your Plan?

I'm not sure you were aware of this, but there is an election coming up in a few weeks. If you don't have a plan to vote, I'll ask you to please reconsider. Voting is your right as a citizen, and heck it is your patriotic duty! Did you know that according to the US Census Bureau, in the 2016 general election only 61.4% of eligible voters cast a ballot? Luckily here in Iowa we have multiple options when it comes to voting: we can vote early, vote by mail (absentee), or vote in person on election day. Early voting in Iowa began on October 5th, so you can vote at anytime between now and election day. Ann and I voted by mail this past weekend. And please don't believe all the hype: voting is safe and voting is secure. You can even track the status of your ballot by checking in with the Iowa Secretary of State. 

Anyway, as is always the case during a general election year all the focus and media attention is at the federal level, and in particular the top of the ticket. While no doubt important, it is of equal or even greater importance to make sure to pay attention to down ballot races. When you consider which has a greater impact on your day to day life, I think one could make a pretty strong argument that local and state government plays a much greater (and more significant role) in creating and enacting policy that will impact you on a personnel level. So in addition to voting for president and those who will represent us in Congress, don't forget about those who will be representing us in the statehouse. In our district, we'll be voting for our state representative and state senator. The state representative will serve a term of two years and the state senator will serve a term of four years. Those who serve in these roles will be positioned to inform and create policy that will impact your school district. In Hudson, the Board of Directors has outlined priorities that we believe are important matters of policy for the next legislative session. Please do your own homework to see where the candidates stand on these matters before casting your vote. 

Supplemental State Aid This is perhaps the most significant of policy issues that is addressed annually by our state legislature. It is also supposed to be one of the first matters taken up when the legislative body convenes. Within the first thirty days of the governor's release of her budget recommendation the body is required to act by law. That hasn't happened in over a decade, and the governor's recommendation has been soundly ignored: despite the fact the general assembly and governor's mansion are all controlled by the same political party. Likewise, when viewing the totality of supplemental state aid against economic indicators, one could reasonably argue that supplemental state aid isn't keeping up with increased costs being borne by local school districts. The board supports timely and adequate supplemental state aid.

Increased Funding and Access for Preschool We thought we had a reasonable chance of seeing movement on this legislation last year. That is until COVID upended everything. Currently preschool students are weighted at .5 FTE of a regular student. Frankly that makes sense if schools continue to operate half day programs that only meet for ten hours of instruction per week. However, the value of early intervention and academic gains made by students over the course of their academic trajectory make the case that expanded access to full day preschools would be a great investment. At the same time, the board also supports eliminating the barrier that only allows 4 year old(s) one year of access. Some parents of children with 'late birthdays' are interested in an additional year of preschool as opposed to entering kindergarten. While we can currently allow this: we have to charge tuition. 

Opposition to School Vouchers Programs that divert public money to private school operations not only reduce the amount of funding available to your local public school district, scholarly research suggests they are not any more effective than local public schools. In many instances, they don't perform as well. Furthermore, the proposals that have been discussed in Iowa don't require those private school enterprises to operate with the same level of fiscal transparency as public schools, often don't offer the same programmatic options, and have the ability to pick and choose who to admit. Our school board believes that any choice legislation must remain under the sole authority of the local school board. 

Unfunded Mandates There are a lot of things that schools can do that frankly, are a pretty good idea. Additionally, because we have a captive audience and the operational infrastructure that other agencies don't, public schools often become the default social service agency. Again, these might be very good ideas, and can only be executed by an organization with the logistical mechanisms afforded to a school district. However, all of these great ideas cost money. The school board opposes any new mandates on schools without proper funding for implementation.

I am forwarding blog post via social media channels to our candidates for their review and hopeful response, which will be posted in the comment section of this blog. But no matter what, please remember to vote!

Always Find the Good

If we have learned anything over the last several months, I think that it might be that kindness, compassion, and empathy are among the most valued character traits we can embody. If we can teach these to our children, the world would probably be a better place. Agree? Think about it. There is quite a lot to take in right now, and it can be very stressful! I won't tick off the multitude of things that I'm sure are on your mind because it might just stress you out a little bit more. But I'll let you in on a little coping mechanism that I have come up with: I don't watch the news anymore. Anyway, I digress. Let me begin to get to the point. I want to see if I can shift the conversation to a more positive outlook. It's all about our theme this year: #PirateRising

That's why I am so thrilled and proud when our students demonstrate those aforementioned character traits without any nudging, or even within eyesight of an adult. I'm sure you have heard the saying that character is the way you act when no one else is looking. Truth be told, most of the time students really don't need us standing around reminding them how to be decent human beings, they have already figured it out. Perhaps though, we can learn something from them? I mean, if they are looking to some adults as examples we would be in pretty big trouble wouldn't we?

For certain I am no angel and sometimes have to remind myself that it doesn't cost a thing to be kind to people, to encourage them and offer a helping hand. Or even just to smile and acknowledge their existence. The fact of the matter is, it can pay huge dividends. And of course the inverse is also true. Our actions can result in us being described as a 'big jerk' and someone to be avoided at all costs. 

This year I have adopted the theme #PirateRising as our unofficial slogan for the year. I wrote about this earlier in the school year to remind our Pirate Nation to 'Fly above your station and RISE UP'. Indeed it is an attempt to regain much of the momentum that we had prior to spring break and to remind everyone what it means to be a Hudson Pirate. All of the academics are important and the reason for our very existence. But there is no doubt we have a role to play in ensuring we turn out decent human beings. While we continually battle quarantine and illness, it is probably a bit too easy to fall prey to the negatively that at least right now seems to be everywhere we turn.

So it is in that spirit that we look to the actions of our students to realize that yes, everything is going to be alright. Last week Mr. Wurzer let me know that he had a parent call him to make sure that both he and our cross country coaches were aware of how nice our athletes were and appreciated their sportsmanship during a recent meet. What a breath of fresh air! Here is how the story went.

One of the opposing athletes from another school had stopped running. They were just going to walk a bit when one of our girls ran by and encouraged her to keep running. But it went beyond those simple words of support. Instead of encouraging her to keep running and continue along, our athlete encouraged her competitor to not only keep running-but finish the race with her, together. 

I'm not sure who our athlete was that provided that inspirational gift to the person who she was trying to beat in a race. Frankly, I think that if I wanted to find out it wouldn't be all that hard. But, I don't need to know. Knowing our students the way that I do, it very well could have been any of them. Hopefully that athlete of ours reads this, and hopefully all our athletes, and students read this. You didn't just inspire a competitor to rise above themselves and finish a race. You inspired all of us to be better. That is what I mean about #PirateRising!