Tremendous Amount of Pirate Pride!

It is usually not a very good thing when the superintendent of an opponent from the previous nights game reaches out following an event. I know, I've made that call a time or two. But to be completely honest, when I receive those phone calls it is often to comment on how well our students represented their school. Seriously. In the past I have had phone calls from managers at a McDonald's, a grandmother who attended an event, or even an anonymous letter here or there. All saying how polite, thoughtful, and respectful our students are. So it wasn't too surprising when I received the following message from the superintendent at Dike-New Hartford a week ago:

Dr. Voss.  I wanted to pass along a note of thanks and appreciation for what your girls basketball team did tonight.  In the locker room they used they left behind a note of thanks for our janitor and a small gift for him to use.  It meant a lot to him, and also me. 

In a world that seems to be focused more and more on one's self and few others it's refreshing to see acts of good will such as this being carried forth.  My best to the girls and the coaching staff the rest of the season.  #rollblue #piraterising

Best, 

Justin

Admittedly I wasn't sure what he was talking about but assumed naturally that our girls exhibited good sportsmanship and left the locker room in tip top shape, which is our expectation. Then this text message arrived on my phone:

I shook my head and thought, 'of course they did that'. There was no prompting or bad behavior that needed to be atoned for or anything that needed to be smoother over. This was exactly what it looked like: a random act of kindness and appreciation for an opponent. It was setting an example of what it means to be a Hudson Pirate.

Now, if I can put a bit of context to the story from personal experience it makes this gesture a little more meaningful. Each Monday morning, I complete an inspection of the facilities with our Director of Building and Grounds. This is where a bit of my military background comes out: in my search for 'gear adrift'. While this is an opportunity for Bryant to share and show projects that are underway, it is also time for me to point out areas that need to be dusted, mopped, etc. (I'm sure he hates it!) One of our stops is always the locker rooms, and inevitably we get to them before they have been cleaned from the previous nights game. They are usually a mess. I have also come to realize that some of our opponents (not naming names here so don't ask) aren't very respectful. Oh, we've had messages written on our whiteboards as well, but they are typically the antithesis of the message left by our girls at DNH. We've also had fixtures broken, locker doors ripped off, and toilets stuffed with all manner of items. It angers me greatly when I see this kind of behavior.

Sometimes my administrators take grief for a perception that they won't allow our students to cheer at games. Quite the contrary. We want them to cheer and cheer loudly. We encourage them to cheer for their classmates. What we are opposed to is cheering against the other team or heckling the referees and opposing teams student section. It is no secret that we have very high expectations for our students, not just in the classroom but in the way they conduct themselves. We remind all our students that anytime they are out in public wearing our logo, and our color of blue they represent the school district and whole community. We preach to them, 'Live Above the Line'. They get that, and for the most part they take that responsibility very seriously. 

It fills me with tremendous pride whenever I get a note like the one above, or someone's grandmother calls to tell me about the nice young man who held the door for her and called her 'ma'am'. I sometimes get a lump in my throat and remember that we have a great school here filled with outstanding people. 

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas. 

Great News for Hudson Schools on Iowa Report Card

In most schools, headlines are made by how well the basketball team competes on Friday night, the number of students selected for All-State music festivals, or how well students performed in the latest drama production. For certain, all of these activities and events are critically important to the school community. They are part of our culture, instill a sense of school pride, and provide an important outlet for our students. Yet, the most important component(s) of school typically doesn't grab headlines. And that is the hard work that is happening in our classrooms every single day. The sweat equity and daily grind that goes into the planning of instruction from our teaching corps. The delivery of that instruction, the reteaching of important skills when students need supplemental lessons, and the constant retooling and recalibrating of instructional strategies. Our stated mission, prime directive, or core purpose: "To Create Effective Learning Environments That Result is Success for ALL students" is the nexus of our existence. In essence, the most important thing that goes on in our schools is the instruction that occurs in classrooms and the progress students make academically: the learning that takes place. Today is cause for celebration of this most important aspect of our work! Today we acknowledge the academic excellence that is the mainstay and expectation in our school district.

Last year, the Iowa School Report card was frozen in place from the prior year due to the closedown from COVID and the huge disruption in learning. It is being released today, and we are getting our first glimpse into how well schools performed during the COVID year. For Hudson Schools, the news is very good. Once again, Hudson Schools has not just earned high marks, they have earned marks among the highest in the state for academic achievement. Schools receive ratings based on their overall score in numerous categories including assessment participation (IASAP), conditions for learning, graduation rate, academic growth and proficiency, post secondary readiness, and progress toward ELP composite. Those metrics are then tabulated into a rating that is described by the table to the right. 

Look, academic excellence is an expectation in our school district. We have come to expect high academic performance from our students and high quality instruction from our teachers. Our district has made a commitment to create effective learning environments. We have a robust professional development program with an attention to instruction that leads to student success. That proof is evident in today's release of this report card. 

I am very proud of the fact that our elementary school has earned an Exceptional rating on the Iowa School Performance Profile. In the entire state of Iowa, only 19 schools have earned this designation, which represents only 1.48% of schools. Not to be outdone, our high school has consistently been recognized in the top 10% of high schools in Iowa by the U.S. News and World Report. Consistency might be one of the best words to describe the academic performance at the high school, as they have once again earned a High Performing rating on the report card. 

What is most impressive for me in these ratings are the obstacles we had to overcome last year. Frankly, when we were preparing for the statewide assessment last spring we had no idea what to expect and entered the assessment window with a bit of trepidation. After all, we were less than a year removed from a school shutdown that saw a full quarter of the school year cancelled. While we were fortunate to keep our doors open all year last year, we battled illness and large quantities of students in quarantine for weeks at a time throughout the school year. Granted, signs began to emerge the news would be positive when we first started to see the assessment results come in, but there were still numerous missing pieces to this puzzle. Now the picture is complete and I couldn't be happier with the outcome.

While today we can celebrate, we also recognize our work isn't done by a longshot. We still have gaps to close and students who need our full attention. We'll spend some time examining this data carefully, looking at it in detail and even at the student level. This will help us uncover areas where we can improve and we'll work to do so. The process begins anew. Our expectation is that next year's report card will be equally impressive.

Oh, and if you have the chance, please thank your child's teacher and principal. They truly are the engine that makes our school go. 

Labor and the Supply Chain

Are we experiencing a shortage of the supply of labor or do we have a shortage of supplies? Well, actually we have both. Frankly I am not sure how quickly either one will rectify itself. Let's start with the supply chain since it has garnered so much media attention lately. First off, a large part of the supply chain issue is correlated directly to the shortage of labor. There are not a enough dock workers to unload the cargo ships in the ports. Once they get the ships unloaded, there aren't enough truck drivers to get them to where they need to go. That isn't my labor problem (I'll get to that in a few minutes), but it does partially explain the supply chain issue we are dealing with.

Granted, we have been able to get by but there are good and services that we are simply still waiting on. For example, some computer hardware that was ordered last April has yet to arrive. Obviously it is on back order, but we keep getting information that we are next on the list. As of right now, we anticipate delivery in January. At the beginning of the school year we decided that we needed to order another school van. When I placed the order in September, it was a 30 week lead time. This means it is entirely likely our new van won't arrive before the end of the school year (or at least very close to it). If there is good news, then we'll have the new van in time for the start of the new school year! Our new school bus that was ordered last spring was delayed as well, thankfully it arrived in just the last few weeks. We desperately needed it as well! (We are also having a terrible time getting bus parts to keep all our buses on the road.) Here we are, into the second week of December and still have summertime orders trickling in!

Right before the start of the school year (and I mean right before the start of the school year), our food distributor decided to drop all their Iowa customers. That left us scrambling, and fortunately we were able to find a new distributor--but it is still common for our cooks to have to make a trip to the grocery store. A few weeks back I was on my way to scold someone for parking in a 'no parking zone' outside the kitchen dock only to realize it was one of our cooks unloading a trunkful of groceries. To this day we still do not have a bread distributor and we frequently have to recalibrate menus based on what was delivered that particular week. 

As far as labor goes, we are currently short two full time paraprofessional positions in the district. Truth be told, I consider myself lucky when it comes to that. I have colleagues who have teaching positions that have been open all year and bus driving positions that are unfilled right now. The consequence of this is extended routes with more passengers and large classroom sizes. Probably neither of which are real great combinations in the (hopefully) twilight of COVID! Another notable shortage area in Hudson right now is our substitute teaching pool. Hopefully a raise in pay that kicks in for those folks on January 1st will help mitigate some of that.

So what's the answer? Seriously, I'm asking you, what is the answer!?

When it comes to our challenges with the supply chain, I think the best approach right now is to exercise patience. Admittedly it is difficult for me at times and I want to take those frustrations out on the person on the other end of the phone. I do believe if they could fix it, they would. In terms of labor, I think first and foremost it is important to be able to compete in this labor market. Filling a position is one thing. Filling a position with a quality person that is going to be able to maintain our very high educational standards is another. Then once we get that employee on our payroll we need to make sure they have a good experience, feel support, and that they are a part of the team so we can keep them!

Did I mention that I am short two paras and am always looks for subs? Please reach out if you are interested!

The Next Big Thing

When first hired as superintendent in Hudson back in 2010, the Board's number one priority as far as capital improvement projects was to pave the high school parking lot. The building was a bit more than 10 years old, and the parking lot was one of those items that was never completed during construction. At that time, the operating philosophy was 'pay as you go', so after a couple of short years that project was finally checked off our 'to do' list. That task was followed quickly by reconstruction of the middle school parking lot and for a while, I was convinced my time in Hudson would be remembered as the 'guy who paved everything'.

Our 'pay as we go' strategy served us well up to about the point when Phase III of the elementary renovation project came along. It became evident that, to pay as we go would require waiting several years to accumulate the needed capital. Further, our forecast models proved that rising construction costs would outpace interest rates associated with a revenue bond sale. It also became readily apparent this strategy would not prove workable in the long term since there would be no end in sight. Many of the projects that needed attention would not be scheduled for completion until long after my retirement. Deferred maintenance at some point would catch up and need to be addressed, which ultimately would delay other capital improvements even further.

The master facility plan always assumed the high school would be next in line for renovation and updates. The strategic decision was made to tackle the elementary building first because it is an older building, then move on to the high school. In case you are curious, the high school building is is 24 years old this year. Initially, planning for this work was to begin last year, but COVID disrupted those plans and our focus last year was to, well quite frankly keep our schools open. We are now in a position to begin planning for that work. 

So, what's to be included in this project? Well, a lot of that is dependent on your input. There are deferred maintenance items that need to be addressed: HVAC, windows, ceilings, and lights. A lot of what you saw in the elementary renovation will likely be part of this next project. An expansion/conversion of the gym into a competition arena has been discussed along with a secured entrance and the possible addition of an academic wing. In reality the scope of project is really yet to be determined, and we are really going to need your help in defining that work.

Truth be told though, this is not a pay as you go project. While the Board of Directors have not yet set a budget for these improvements I am confident this is going to take a financial commitment from our community. This is why your input is going to be critical as we move forward. What type of investment are we willing to make? Indeed I am as curious as anyone to discover the answer to that question.

This final month of the calendar year we are assembling our team. Beginning in January, we will be looking to all of you for your advice, counsel, and ideas as we move forward with this next big thing. The process will march forward with a timeline designed to vet all ideas and address all concerns. I look forward to the conversation!

Reflections from Retiring Board Member Traci Trunck

After deciding not to run for a third consecutive term, Vice President Traci Trunck has retired from board service as of November 15, 2021. In one of her final acts as a member of the board, Mrs. Trunck took action to approve the hiring of an architect that will help lead the process of renovations and remodeling at the high school. As is custom with an outgoing member, Mrs. Trunck was asked to provide her reflections on board service and offer words of advice to the new board. Those reflections and advice are included below and have been lightly edited for voice and clarity. 

Following eight years of service, she wants everyone to know that she believes a good board includes those who have a variety of experience, background, and areas of interest. A board that both supports and challenges each other can, and does work well together with the best interests of the kids, district, and entire community. During Traci's time on the board, she shares that every two years, the makeup of the board has changed. Each time, every member has brought different strengths, energy, and passion to the school district. 

Traci wants to makes sure that everyone, especially the new board, recognize that school finance is complicated! It will take new board members at least a year to feel fully comfortable with all the rules and laws of school finance. It is important to ask a lot of questions, read the financial reports, and relying on those who have a strength in this area makes it very manageable! She believes we are lucky to have a superintendent who is very strong in this space and is a great leader for the district. 

Funding is tight and when determining how to allocate funds for improvements, choices always have to be made. The list of what needs to be done is never ending and prioritizing is difficult, especially when there are competing interests. A lot of time is spent on strategic planning for funding and prioritizing projects. At the same time, the board has to account for and consider emergency items that come up each year: because there are always emergencies!

Mrs. Trunck also wants to ensure the community understands the role of the board and what they are elected to accomplish. First and foremost, they are tasked with creating and approving policy. They should be thought of as a legislative body. It is also important to understand that a single board member does not have any more authority than any other community member. The board exercises its authority as one body, and only when a majority of the board has spoken. They are not tasked with running the school district or have authority over the day to day activities of the school. The administration is tasked with the operation of the school district. 

From time to time, board members have to make tough decisions, and as such have access to information that is considered confidential. There is almost always 'more to the story' that the general public won't know and board members can't share. They take their service seriously and take an oath to uphold the law. Because of this, they have to be able to separate emotions in their deliberations and decision making. Oftentimes these result in hard decisions that are based on precedence, policy, strategic direction and the law. She wants her successor(s) to know that they will never make everyone happy, and that is has become further complicated in this polarized environment we are currently living in. 

She considered disciplinary hearings over whether to expel or readmit a student among the most complex and stressful. The decisions require board members to balance the interests of the individual child, other children, teachers and the overall school with the implementation of our policies. These decisions were never easy. 

Mrs. Trunck understands that everyone has an opinion on how decisions should be made in the school. She admits that it is very easy to complain about an issue, but oftentimes the general public doesn't have all the facts that led to the decision that is ultimately made. She encourages stakeholders to get involved and to be helpful. It would be wise to empathize with the stress and pressure everyone at the school is under: including the teachers, staff, and administration. In closing Traci Trunck has this to say: 

"Overall, my eight years of service has been rewarding. We have a great school, administration, teachers and staff that truly care about the kids, district and community. Our district is growing and Hudson is community that families want to live in.  It has been an honor for me to represent this community.   My decision to not seek re-election from the board was not taken lightly; I truly enjoyed being a part of a high performing team and making important decisions that affect the future of our children. Thank you to my colleagues on the board, Dr. Voss, administrators, teachers and staff for everything you do every day to make this an excellent school system."  

In Front of a Live Studio Audience

Over the course of the last year and a half, our fine arts department has gotten the short end of the stick. They were among the first to feel disappointment as the pandemic began to take hold of our country. I will always recall the moment I spoke with Mrs. Davis as the music department was beginning their spring music trip. The skyline of New York City was just coming into view when I called her on the tour bus; they were shutting down Broadway and they needed to start making preparations to turn the bus around. It didn't get much better from there. You see, our students were in final preparations for the spring musical. It was among the first of our spring activities to become, at first postponed before finally capitulating to the inevitable. During the entirety of the 2020-2021 school year, our music and theatre department was relegated to remote, prerecorded performances. Theatrical productions were live-streamed. It wasn't until the very end of the school year we finally were able to have a music concert with a limited audience. 

This year we have largely returned to normal. At this point, we have had our first concert of the year, the marching band has impressed us during halftime shows at a stadium of full capacity, and our students will be able to participate in the full 'All State' experience in just another week. For me though, everything came full circle with the production of the fall play, 'Murder's in the Heir'. 

With the production of this play, it seems to me that we are truly back to normal. I attended on Friday evening and it was wonderful to see a nice crowd in attendance enjoying this outstanding performance! And there is no doubt our young thespians took advantage of performing in front of a live 'studio' audience. Yet, in my view the biggest winners over the weekend were not the audience members by a long shot. The biggest accolades need to go to the young people on the stage and the director of the show, Mr. Stover. 

The play was fantastic! I would love to go through the list and tick off the outstanding contributions of each of the cast members, but this would likely become much too long to have the impact that it rightly deserves. The blocking was well thought out and provided superb balance and clear lines of sight. I thought the students' diction was clean and found it very easy to understand the action on the stage. At the same time, it was evident a great deal of thought went into character development. Were they believable? Absolutely! The timing, flow, and pace of the show was excellent and the comedic punchlines were delivered brilliantly. 

It is crucial in our school that we offer a diverse and comprehensive activity program that spans an array of interests. From athletics to fine arts, all are an important part of the overall program that we come to think of as the American high school experience. I am grateful that we have so many talented students who not only provided us with this fine performance, but also found time this fall to compete in our athletic program. It is only fitting then, they are rewarded for their efforts with the opportunity to perform in front of a live audience. I am so happy they were able to do so, and we were all treated to the experience.

To the cast and crew of 'Murder's in the Heir', thank you for such a wonderful evening of entertainment. Thank you for helping us in our journey to normalcy. I am very proud of you all!

Projecting Growth

Our enrollment has rebounded after last year when we saw a pretty significant drop due largely to COVID. With a headcount of 765 in our buildings, you have to go all the way back to 2006-2007 to see a higher number: when that year the headcount was 788. The biggest reason for the gain we are seeing this year has to do with open enrollment from Waterloo. Absent that, our headcount likely would have been stable to even slightly down. Now, when I talk with you about enrollment, there are two separate terms that are used, and both mean something quite different. Certified enrollment refers to resident students with a Hudson address. It includes those who are attending school in Hudson and those who are attending school elsewhere, usually open enrolled to another school district. Headcount on the other hand refers to the number of students who are actually attending school in Hudson. It includes both resident students (attending) and those who are open enrolling into the district. 

Certified enrollment is down approximately 7 students. However, our headcount count is up by 34, from 731-765. This represents a net increase in enrollment of 5% Our metric of comparability would be the opening day enrollment, which stood at 772. It is not unusual for enrollment to fluctuate from the opening day enrollment to the day that we certify that number on October 15. The fact is, enrollment tends to be rather fluid with students moving in and out of the district all throughout the school year!

The number of students open enrolling out of Hudson has remained relatively stable, with 45 open enrolling out of Hudson, which is one less from last year. We have 136 open enrolling into Hudson, compared to 100 last year. Again, the large increase in open enrollment to Hudson is attributable to a change in law that eliminated school districts’ voluntary desegregation plans absent a court order. With a net positive of 91 students, this is a good metric for the district.

We had 68 students who were enrolled last year but have subsequently transferred out or moved to another school district. This compares to 40 students who moved out last year and could suggest a more transient population of learners. Of these 68 students, some have elected to homeschool, which obviously has a negative impact on our enrollment. It is also worth noting that 7 students withdrew at parental request: all of which are considered ‘young for their class’ kindergarten students who we assume will be with us next year. Note: this is one of the reasons we are considering transitional kindergarten. For more on this topic, please refer to my October 13th post, 'Transitional Kindergarten?'.

At the same time though, we have a larger kindergarten class this year compared to what we had anticipated. This larger class can be attributed to open enrollment, with 15 kindergarten students open enrolling into the district. 

Of the 45 students who are open enrolled out, 28 of them are open enrolled to Cedar Falls while 4 are open enrolled to Gladbrook-Reinbeck. The balance of our open enrollees [largely] are participating in online school programs at Clayton Ridge, CAM, and Iowa City. 29% of those open enrolled to Cedar Falls have a Cedar Falls address at the time of original application. This address, while in the Hudson Community School District is on the northern border of the district and actually within the city limits of Cedar Falls.

The largest number of students open enrolling into Hudson comes from Waterloo: 73 students. This is followed by Gladbrook-Reinbeck at 20, Cedar Falls at 21 and Union at 11. The remaining students are attending from Dike-New Hartford, Grundy Center, and North Tama.

Enrollment projections are calculated based on a cohort methodology that uses a five year rolling average to calculate and estimate kindergarten size. Over the last 5 years, the kindergarten has averaged 57 students; while in the last 10 years it has averaged 56. Therefore, a projection of 57 seems to be right particularly since open enrollment from Waterloo is open due to the aforementioned change in state law. With this methodology, estimates from prior years are left static since there is no algorithm to accurately predict transfers in or out of the district. If these projections were come to fruition, we will reach our high-water mark of 784 in 2022-2023. However, an attempt has been made to account for residential enrollment growth. Under this scenario, I have anticipated 106 households between the Upper Ridges and Twin Oaks development with 1.9 children per household. Applying that in an even distribution method would suggest enrollment figures of 954 in 2026-2027. Nonetheless, this projection should be viewed critically for multiple reasons, and again it is important to point out the unknown is not insignificant. 

To view the complete analysis of both our historical enrollment and projections out for the next five years, please click here. 

School Board Election is November 2: Meet the Candidates

The school and city election is scheduled for November 2 and this election cycle we have 3 seats on the school board up for election. There are 4 candidates running for these seats and include incumbents Brenda Klenk and Matt Sallee who are both seeking a second term on the board, as well as Shannon Ingamells and Amy Thole. Incumbent Traci Trunck has decided not to seek a third term in office. Look for Traci's reflection on her service to the board in an upcoming column!

Today's post is a bit longer than normal due to the information that is being shared regarding these candidates. I encourage you to please take time to read the entire article to learn about these community members running for the board. 

Brenda Klenk (Incumbent) 

Brenda was born and raised in Ossian, Iowa and a proud graduate of Allamakee County Schools. After graduation, she attended the American Institute of Business in Des Moines and earned an Associate's Degree in Court Reporting. She is employed by the State of Iowa Judicial branch and most days can be found at the Black Hawk County Courthouse.

Brenda and her husband Ken have been married for 26 years and have three daughters and one son in law, all proud Hudson graduates with the exception of Amelia who has just started her freshman year at Hudson High School. Ellie and her husband Caleb reside in Honolulu, Hawaii where Caleb is stationed in the Air Force. After graduating from Iowa State, Annelise is now attending grad school at Drake. Brenda and Ken keep very busy with their three dogs, and keeping up with Amelia who is very active in school activities that include multiple sports teams.

Brenda is seeking a second term because she feels passionate about being a voice for her neighbors, friends, and community. She believes it's not enough to sit around and talk about what you want to happen. It's better to volunteer your time and be part of the process.

When considering the greatest challenge facing education in Iowa, Brenda recognizes that mental health issues in our school systems has become prevalent, especially with the COVID-19 pandemic, for students as well as staff. She says that "While we must continue to move forward and work through the fears and obstacles COVID-19 has created, we must find ways to help, encourage, and support our students and staff so we can keep the classroom focus on education."

At the local level, Brenda believes one of our challenges is giving our students multiple career opportunities so they are ready for whatever path they choose upon graduation. Having classes and hands-on experiences while in high school will give our students a greater understanding to make educated decisions about their future and hopefully lead them to successful careers.

She hopes to continue representing the Hudson community with integrity and assure our citizens that there is a great deal of thought and consideration put into the decisions made as a board member. She hopes to be part of improvements to our school's learning environment, educational programming, as well as our facilities so we are ready to meet the needs of all current and future students.

Matt Sallee (Incumbent)

Matt grew up in Indianola, Iowa and graduated from Indianola High School in 1990. He went on to attend the University of Northern Iowa and graduated from UNI with a Marketing Degree in 1994. He is currently employed by Stanley Black and Decker and serves as the Director of Product Management for Metal Storage. He was a long time employee of Waterloo Industries prior to being acquired by Stanley Black and Decker in 2017. He really enjoys his job and gets to work with a team to develop world class storage products for brands such as CRAFTSMAN, DEWALT, STANLEY and MAC Tools.

His family  has been proud to call Hudson home for 24 years. His wife Dee also graduated from UNI and works in the High School as the Athletic/Guidance Assistant. They have two wonderful daughters who were both extremely active while in the Hudson school system. His oldest, Madison, graduated from Hudson in 2017 and UNI in 2021. She now works for VGM as a Project Event Coordinator on the Moxie Team. Kylee graduated from Hudson in 2021 and is now a Freshman at Augustana University in Sioux Falls, SD where she is studying Business and a is member of the Track and Field Team. 

As an incumbent, Matt is seeking a second term on the board in an effort to give back to the school and community that has treated his family so well. The Hudson school system has opened up many doors for his daughters and successfully prepared them for their future endeavors. He enjoys being part of a team that will ensure these opportunities will be made available for all Hudson students in the future.

Matt believes the pandemic has created the biggest challenge facing education in Iowa. The debates over in-person vs. online education and masks vs. no masks have created a huge divide in some communities. He also points out that Hudson faces the same challenges created by the pandemic. With the exception of the state wide shutdown, he is proud that Hudson students have attended school in person the entire time since the pandemic began. The staff and students do an excellent job of mitigating the risks.

If he is successful in securing a second term, Matt will bring the same common sense approach to the board that was demonstrated during his first term. He looks forward to working with the larger team to continue to improve our facilities and learning environment in order to provide our students, staff and community the best education in the area.

Shannon Ingamells

Shannon grew up in Cedar Falls and holds a BA Degree in Community Health Education from the University of Northern Iowa and an Associate Degree in Nursing (RN) from Inver Hills Community College. She is currently employed by Unitypoint at Home and has varied experience in school nursing and health issues during her time working as a nursing manager with schools in the Cedar Valley.

Shannon and her husband Wade, a Hudson native, have been married for 20 years. They lived in Minnesota when they were first married. Shortly afterward, they moved back to Iowa and have been happy to call Hudson home for the past 18 years.  Their oldest daughter Emily, graduated from HHS this past May and is a freshman at the University of Iowa. Their son Zach, is a sophomore at HHS. They have 2 dogs - a 10 year old Boxer named Max and a 7 year old Bassador named Roger. 

Shannon has been thinking about running for the Hudson School Board since her children were young. She decided this year to run because she feels her experience in health care, school nursing, child and adolescent health, pediatric nursing, and mental health would bring a lot to the board. She has an interest in educational law as well as collaborating with others to arrive at the best outcome. She is accustomed to working in unique situations with an adverse and complex set of barriers. She has extensive background working with children with special health care needs in the school setting and collaborating with the AEA. She believes it takes a village to raise a child and wants to help impact the educational experiences our children in Hudson have. 

Shannon believes in the uniqueness of each child and that it can be challenging for educators to find that uniqueness about each child and meet each child and their families "where they're at". At the same time believes if those unique attributes of each child can be found and lifted up to help them reach their full potential their opportunities in life will be limitless. 

As a smaller school district, Shannon feels there may not always be the opportunity to offer a myriad of educational options and activities to students. For instance, her daughter was able to take the CNA course through the Waterloo Career Center her senior year. This was an amazing experience and sparked an interest to pursue a degree in nursing at the University of Iowa. It was a bit challenging to make this work into her schedule her senior year due to the differences in class scheduling at Hudson vs. Waterloo Schools. But, in spite of those challenges we were able to work it out and create a very positive experience. She feels more students should be allowed to explore options such as this to open many more doors of opportunity for them. 

If elected, Shannon hopes to make a positive impact by the choices and decisions that are made as a board member.  She has experience working in schools with positivity programs in place and the energy you feel when you walk into those schools is beyond compare. She hopes to accomplish making Hudson Schools a place where students want to learn and teachers want to teach, where they wake up every morning and are excited to be there.  She is not saying this isn't the case now. But, she feels with all that is going on in the world currently students and teachers are facing the greatest challenges they may have ever had in their lifetime. There are so many concerns with mental health issues, illness, loss, etc., etc. that we need to find new and unique ways to live, love, learn, and teach. 

Amy Thole

A lifelong Hudson resident and the daughter of Tom and Christy Lichty, Amy grew up on a farm outside of Hudson. She is a 2008 graduate of Hudson High School and holds degrees from Hawkeye Community College and the University of Northern Iowa. She is currently employed at Hawkeye Community College where she serves as the Associate Director of Athletics. 

Amy and her husband Michael have a one year old daughter, Charlotte. She is drawn to board service in Hudson because of the way Hudson shaped her life during her formative years. She grew up attending Hudson Community Schools and graduated in 2008. The education she received at Hudson gave her a strong foundation to continue on to higher education. Traveling around the world and living out of state, provided the clarity needed to move back to Iowa and start a family. The reason she would like the opportunity to be on the Hudson Community School Board is to give back to Hudson Schools so my children can have the same positive experience she did.

As an administrator at a postsecondary institution, Amy recognizes that mental health is one of the greatest challenges facing educators in Iowa. She feels that it is paramount that we do all we can to connect students with services that will enable them to be successful in life. 

At the local level, Amy is interested in helping address the challenges Hudson will face in the near future as district enrollment grows. As class sizes increase, it will be important to ensure that we continue to provide the smaller class sizes that make our school district so appealing. Amy also realizing that it will be important to ensure we have the programming necessary to meet the needs of our growing community, ranging from early childhood education all the way to college and career readiness. She hopes her service to the board will add a solution oriented voice to address the complex issues facing the district while planning for the future. 

Transitional Kindergarten?

Preschool after hours: Quite now but not for long!

Prior to this school year, we have accommodated 'young five year old' students in our preschool program. At parent request, we were able to allow those families the option of a second year of preschool if they [parents] thought they weren't quite ready for kindergarten. It wasn't really an ideal situation because we had to charge these families tuition and program isn't really designed that way. Nevertheless, we had the room so it really didn't make much sense to have open slots going unfilled if someone wanted to make use of the opening. The caveat of course is that a five year old can't take the place of a four year old, which is where we found ourselves at the beginning of this school year.

Our preschool program has a limit of 40 students, which is based largely on staffing limitations. At the same time, because our preschool program is fully inclusive a few slots need to be held in reserve to accommodate qualifying students that emerge throughout the course of the school year. Some children become eligible at age 3, and once those students become eligible we have to serve them. This, factored with enrollment growth has created a pressure point in our early childhood program. The preschool program is now completely full, and those families with 'young five year old's' were faced with a choice: kindergarten or a private provider. Luckily our community has good options for families so everyone was able to find a soft landing spot. But in reality we are to the point where we need to consider the structure of our comprehensive early childhood program. 

Last spring the early childhood faculty approached me about implementing a program that would be designed specifically to fill this gap. Often referred to as transitional or pre-kindergarten programs, they are becoming more popular around the state. While it wasn't feasible to consider implementing a program like this on such short notice, it is being studied this year and could be a possibility for the 2022-2023 school year. 

There are caveats of course. For starters, in essence what we would be doing is opening a 4th section of kindergarten. Even though in practice it would function as a transitional kindergarten program, those students would be classified as kindergarten students for state reporting purposes. In our preliminary discussions with the DE, they aren't all that interested in the transitional kindergarten concept. Nevertheless at the end of the day this does become a local issue. The other, perhaps more pertinent unknown is having enough students to actually make a transitional kindergarten fiscally responsible and feasible. 

To answer this question, it is wise to look at our enrollment trajectory and trendline data. Our kindergarten enrollment is projected using a five year rolling average of the past five years. Based on this estimate, kindergarten classes are projected to be 57 over the next five years. However, this year we have 64 and when correcting for those who were expected to attend and then later chose a different option, our kindergarten class would have been over 70 students. At 72, we could comfortably have four sections of kindergarten at 18 a piece, with one of which being a transitional program. Naturally though we don't anticipate an even distribution across the programs, but this makes the math simple.

As I look at enrollment trends that include both residential enrollment growth and open enrollment it is entirely possible that my projections are understated. By how much remains an open question. While today's post focused on the mechanics and fiscal side of the issue, we will also be discussing the programmatic aspects of a transitional kindergarten soon. Nevertheless, we will begin the process of examining our early childhood program in the coming weeks. I look forward to the discussion, not only with our professional teaching staff but with families who might be impacted and have an interest in this program. If you are interested in being involved in this work, please reach out! 

Expanding Career and Technical Education

Iowa high schools are required to offer specific courses, deliver content in a diverse array of disciplines, and employ people with certain credentials in order to be an accredited public high school. Known as the Chapter 12 accreditation standards, in some small schools they can be a tough hill to climb when there aren't enough students to justify a particular position; and become even more so in a tough labor market. Yet, one area that is a challenge for larger school districts as well as smaller school districts is in the area of career and technical education (CTE).

In this branch of secondary education, high schools must offer and teach in a minimum of four career areas, with complete 'strands' or programs of study in each strand. In Hudson, those four strands are Family and Consumer Science, Industrial Technology, Agriculture, and Business. Our specific challenge has been attracting and retaining quality employees in these areas. Why? Well largely because some of these positions have not been full time teaching positions. In fact up until this school year the four components of our CTE program have been served by 3.25 teachers. We didn't have enough students to fill out a full schedule so it has been difficult to justify a full time teacher. So we resorted to part time positions and sharing some positions with other school districts.

The side effect of this strategy is constant turnover with no ability to build a program that students want to invest their time in, especially if they can expect a new teacher to come along in a year with a philosophy and skill set that is different than the last teacher. The problem becomes even more challenging when the labor pool is not deep to begin with, which was the dilemma we were faced with when our Family and Consumer Science teacher moved on to another district after the end of last year. Who could blame her? The position she was filling for us was shared with a neighboring school district, where half the day was spent in Hudson and the other half at our neighboring district. Now, if there were a deep bench of teachers with this credential, we would have been able to call someone up and keep on moving. But the fact that there isn't even a bench to begin with makes the issue all the more challenging. Plus, it makes shared positions between two school districts not all that attractive. 

Even though our previous teacher resigned early enough for us to get to the market, it wasn't fast enough. The talent pipeline for the 2021-2022 school year had exactly 4 teachers in it. The market demanded 26. We very quickly found ourselves a day late and a dollar short. Luckily we were able to coax a former instructor out of retirement to serve in an interim part-time capacity this school year.

That, coupled with a renewed emphasis on the governor's Future Ready Iowa initiative provided a jumping off point for some bold decisions in our career and technical education program. First, we have gone to the market and secured a full time Family and Consumer Science teacher for next year. This preservice teacher is finishing their preparation program right now and is very eager to join our faculty. We anticipate our FCS program next year to focus on industry standards spanning a broad spectrum of careers that students will be excited to explore and experience.

Beginning this school year we have also expanded opportunities for students to engage in real world career exploration by participating in job shadowing experiences that can lead to both internships and apprenticeships. Students participating in the 'Career Exploration Opportunity' course have the chance to develop employability skills, learn more about a career that interests them, and create a training pathway to that career. While this course of study is credit bearing, we anticipate some of these experiences will eventually yield a paycheck for this next generation of our workforce. 

Finally, we are in the very beginning stages of developing a computer science curriculum that when fully developed will provide even more opportunities for our students to explore a rewarding career that truly embodies Future Ready Iowa. All of this means that next year will be the first time in well over a decade where the district will employ four full time career and technical education teachers. We are able to make these strategic investments in our students because of growing enrollment, a strong financial position, and a school board that sees the value of ensuring our students are prepared for the next phase of their lives when they leave our campus: be that college or career ready!

Financial Position Remains Strong in FY 2021

Overall, the District’s financial position is excellent. Most metrics remained stable from FY 2020 to FY 2021. There are no significant areas of concern with regard to district finances, although I do note the employee cost ratio has increased to 83% and has been at or above 80% for the last four years. The increase in FTE due is due to enrollment growth and making strategic investments in hard to fill areas. The target for this ratio is 80%.

Some general observations include first and foremost the fact our general fund revenue increased by $411,821 or 4.8% from FY 2020 to FY 2021. Most notably, this increase came in the state sources object code and can be attributed to growth in enrollment and a slight increase in supplemental state aide, although a significant increase in federal funds due to COVID relief was also a major contributor. At the same time, the district’s cash reserves are full and it remains unnecessary to levy for cash reserves. Finally, our general fund expenditures increased by $135,135 or a rate of 1.6%.

The total general fund balance increased from $2,223,215 in FY 2020 to $2,393,171 in FY 2021. At the same time, the restricted fund balance increased from $221,734 to $236,633. The district was able to clear some of these restricted funds due to changes in legislation that permitted the creation of a ‘flex’ account. The district is encouraged to continue to utilize this tool in order to keep these balances as low as possible. It is worth noting that dropout prevention, talented and gifted; and early literacy are reserve funds excluded from consideration for flex fund spending. The district may wish to closely examine these programs against the fund balance to ensure maximum leverage is applied against these expenditures. As a reminder, these funds are reserved because they can only be used for specified purposes under Iowa Law. Reserve funds for Talented and Gifted make up the bulk of these restricted funds at $182,472, and as you can see from the table to the left, this fund continues to grow.

The solvency ratio increased slightly to 24.12% in FY 2021. This continues to be a positive metric for the district, insofar as our cash reserves continue to be full.  This is great news because the unknown variable in our district continues to be costs associated with our special education program, which has been dropping. 

Tax rates for the FY 2021 budget year were 14.04151, down from 14.20904 in FY 2020. Overall taxes were down for the district as well, in spite of the continued increase in the residential rollback and natural increases to taxable valuation district wide. 

The district currently carries a long term debt note of $5,140,000 when it sold revenue bonds during the winter of 2019. At the same time, the district carries short term debt primarily for the lease of computer devices that support the district’s connected learning initiative. Both of these notes are paid through the capital funds improvement funding stream and are not therefore general fund expenditures. It is also important to note the district is currently not utilizing any general obligation funding mechanisms.

In spite of our strong financial position, enrollment will need to continually be monitored. While one year certified enrollment may be down 22 students, the next year certified enrollment may be up 27. While enrollment remains strong, the COVID pandemic has resulted in a significant drop in enrollment. While expected to rebound, it is something that will need to be carefully managed in the short term. *Note: keep in mind the enrollment provided here is a look back at the 2020-2021 school year when we did experience a decrease in enrollment due to COVID. It does not take into consideration the substantial increase in enrollment that we are experiencing during the 2021-2022 school year. 

Finally we should take special note of the district’s unspent balance ratio. This is perhaps the most important of all the financial health indicators and one that should be closely monitored and watched. The news here is good, with an increase in this ratio every year since 2011 when the district completed major budget cuts and ended with a balance of $90,971 or 1.29%. In the prevailing years it has grown steadily to $3,501,131 or 28.53% in fiscal year 2021. Like the financial solvency ratio, this puts the district in a good position in light of unpredictable funding from the state, and particularly since we will be in a position to manage unbudgeted expenditures that have come about as a result of COVID-19.

For a complete and detailed look at the financial report, including all the ratios and calculations used for this Executive Summary, please click here. 

 

The Open Enrollment Factor

Open enrollment is a mechanism in Iowa Public Schools that permits resident students from one school district to enroll in a different public school. On the books since 1989, families wishing to utilize open enrollment must file paperwork with the district of residence and the receiving district by March 1 of the preceding school year for students entering grades 1-12 or by September 1 of the current school year for students entering kindergarten. Provided those deadlines are met, the receiving school district has the authority to unilaterally accept those applications unless they have determined there is insufficient classroom space. Applications outside that deadline can only be approved by the resident district acting first if good cause exists. Once a student open enrolls into another school district, the funding follows them into the receiving school district. For this year the funding is $7,048 per student plus supplements.

One also has to remember that open enrollment is a two way street. While Hudson is lucky insofar as we are net positive in open enrollment, that isn't the case in a lot of districts. I have many colleagues who are 'upside down' when it comes to open enrollment. This means they have far more students leaving than they do entering. Others consider it a 'win' if they are net zero: an equal number entering and an equal number leaving. In case you were curious, last year we had 46 students open enroll out of the district compared to 100 that open enrolled in to the district. 

The point is that open enrollment isn't a new phenomenon and the recent burst of open enrollment into our district is merely a return to the original intent in law; albeit with a temporary waiver of the traditional timeline. In the mid 2000s, several school districts in Iowa implemented policies that enabled them to deny open enrollment out of their districts, while at the same time accepting open enroll students from surrounding school districts. Think of it this way: a resident student in Hudson could go there, but a student there-could not come here. Prior to this change in policy, Hudson schools had benefited from a larger number of open enrollees into the district. Once the policy was enacted, open enrollment into Hudson dropped off dramatically. 

The influx of open enrollees over the summer came about due to a change in state law. During the waning days of the last legislative session, the General Assembly passed legislation outlawing policies that had permitted districts to deny open enrollment 'out' applications. At the same time, they waived the March 1/September 1 deadline for this first year only. Looking forward to the 2022-2023 school year the normal deadlines will apply. 

Because of the change to law and the waiving of the deadline, over the course of the summer we experienced an unusual number of applications for open enrollment into our school district. As the applications came in, we monitored our class and section size and if our class sections weren't full, we accepted those applications. Not only did it enable us to fill section sizes without needing to add employees, it will generate additional revenue. This infusion of capital will make it much easier to provide a broader range of opportunities for our students and create balance in our classes. At it's barest minimum it creates tremendous efficiency in operation. From a purely mathematical standpoint, a classroom of 20 pupils bears a lower cost [per pupil] than one of 15. Extrapolated across the system, this will allow us to make key investments in other programs that benefit the whole. This year we are examining early childhood programming and career and technical education. 

Think about this. Some have inquired about additional early childhood programs such as transitional kindergarten. In order to offer a program like this, there must be enough students to make it solvent. Open enrollment and the funding that flows to Hudson because of it very well could be the key to making an option like this a reality. Here is another example. For years at the high school we have struggled to employ a Family and Consumer Science (FCS) teacher. Why? Because we simply don't have enough students to fill out those classes. The result has been a shared position with another school district that is not very attractive and tends to turn over on an almost annual basis. It is very difficult to build a program when faced with constant turnover. This is further exacerbated by the fact that on any given year, Iowa only produces a handful of FCS teachers. When the need is in excess of 20 teachers to meet the statewide need annually, why would anyone choose to work a part time job in two separate districts? We are lucky that we have been able to hire an interim instructor for this school year. At the same time, we have made an offer of employment for a full time FCS teacher next year. When this decision was made, it was prior to the influx in open enrollment and was based on the premise of growth in residential enrollment. There is no mistake the open enrollment windfall has taken the pressure off this decision: one that needed to be made in order to attract and retain a quality employee. The fact of the matter is that the benefits of growth in enrollment through both residential and open enrollment are numerous and will open doors for the district to expand programs and access to students. 

In closing, perhaps a mathematical explanation makes the most sense. When the fiscal year 2022 budget was certified, I budgeted revenue from open enrollment at $592,032. Based on our most recent calculations, that number is now anticipated to be in the vicinity of $916,240. That is a net increase of $324,208.

The Day the Towers Fell

I was backstage at Beckman High School working in the costume shop when the high school principal announced over the PA system that an airplane had struck the World Trade Center. It was a very warm, in fact beautiful fall day. At first I thought it odd the principal would make such an announcement. The band was outside on the football field working through their drill for the game on Friday night. Truth be told, it was a perfect fall day; and one that would completely unravel. I remember the frantic calls to Ann as the morning unfolded, all while wondering what would happen next as the FAA took the unprecedented step of grounding every aircraft flying over or on the way to the United States. 

We had only been married a couple of years at that point. I still have a picture from our honeymoon, one with Ann sitting on a small ledge when we visited Ellis Island. The Twin Towers framed behind her. 

Each year on this most solemn of days I recall with precision the events of September 11, 2001. At the time I was a vocal music teacher in Dyersville and had first hour prep. Indeed I have vivid memories of where I was and what I was doing when first learning of the attack. At the time none of us knew it was an attack, thinking it must have been some sort of horrible accident. Then I watched in shock as the second plane struck the south tower on live television; and at that precise moment understanding with unequivocal clarity that yes, we were most certainly under attack. And also in that horrible moment unaware that it would get much, much worse when the towers fell. 

Instruction stopped that day. As teachers we worked hard to keep our students calm. They asked questions. How could this happen, we have two oceans protecting us? Is Iowa next? We had no answers.

I am a bit surprised that I can still recall these details with as much clarity as I can. Because it has been 20 years. Twenty years! Indeed the years fly by. I was a young man then and the world as it was on September 10th was not the world we would wake up to on September 11th. The fact is, that world no longer exists. 

In the intervening years as the anniversary approached we would mark the milestones along the way: the year the 9/11 'babies' went to kindergarten. When they graduated. On this 20th year of remembrance I find a couple of things quite striking. First, there is not one student in our school who was even alive on that horrific day. The second, and perhaps more interesting [at least to me] is the generational divide amongst our faculty and staff. More and more of our faculty is made up of those who were too young to recall this event. While there were many of us who were busily at work, teaching school and going about our day: a growing number of our ranks were in diapers and blissfully unaware of what was going on around them. 

Now America's longest war has come to an end. It will be up to history to decide how this chapter of our story is portrayed. But no matter what, we must honor the sacrifices of so many men and women who gave their lives in service. Who vowed to hold those responsible who attacked us. 

As is the case each year, there will be numerous documentaries on television about this day. Some old, some new. If you are too young to remember, please don't scroll past them with your remote. Watch them. Ask one of your colleagues to share their memories of that day. And for those of us who were there, I would encourage you to watch as well. Talk about this day with your students. Its important that we #NeverForget.

COVID Protocols as We Begin

I had sincerely hoped the need for this communication would be unnecessary, but unfortunately the COVID-19 pandemic is still very much a part of our lives. If there is good news, it is that we are in a much different environment then we were when classes concluded last spring. This due to the fact that vaccines are readily available for anyone age 12 and over. If eligible and you haven’t already, I would urge you to please consider becoming vaccinated. This is the best way we can fully return to normal. 

Face coverings will not be required in our school buildings. However, face coverings will be required on school buses and any transportation systems operated by the school district. It is our interpretation that this adheres to both state law and the most recent CDC orders.

It is our intention to closely adhere to the letter of the law, guidance from the Iowa Department of Public Health, and the Black Hawk County Health Department. When in conflict, we will defer to state law and the Iowa Department of Public Health. In accordance with that law, masks and other face coverings will not be required. When signed on May 20, 2021, HF 847 prohibited school districts from adopting or enforcing a policy that requires employees, students, or the public to wear a mask while on school property. At the same time we do recommend face masks, particularly for those who are unvaccinated or have other health conditions. 

There is, however, one caveat to the face covering requirement. The CDC order effective from February 1, 2021 does require passengers and drivers of school buses to wear face coverings. According to the latest IDPH guidance, this order appears to supersede HF 847. Therefore, face coverings ARE required to be worn on school buses. 

Public health has adjusted their case investigation procedures regarding contact tracing to mirror the influenza model, which will focus on outbreaks and vulnerable populations. Likewise, isolation and quarantine orders will no longer be issued by the health department. 

We will continue to update our dashboard, which has been streamlined and can be found here. Like last year, if we learn your child was exposed to COVID-19, we will contact you. At the same time, the three instructional models promulgated by the Board of Directors will remain options. However, voluntary remote learning is not an instructional model being offered this school year. Any change in learning model will only be implemented after careful consideration of the localized metrics and in consultation with the Iowa Department of Education, the Iowa Department of Public Health, and the Black Hawk County Health Department. 

Both lunch and recess groups will remain in ‘cohorted groups’ at the elementary in an effort to control vectors of potential transmission. Hand sanitizing stations are available and the daily disinfecting of attendance centers will continue. We have also retained our extra day shift custodian who will assist in disinfecting and attending to ‘high touch’ areas. 

While for the most part, we are planning to allow guests and visitors to our facilities, we will phase in the use of classroom volunteers and lunch guests. At this time, we are not ready to accommodate those types of requests. 

For additional information, please refer to the Return to Learn page of our website.

New Faculty is Ready to Move Mountains!

L-R: Heather Vaughn, Grace Sullivan, Bridget Dolan 
Mitchell Stover, Sophie Rieken, Carla Ramsey,
Breanna Fisher, Hannah Miedema, Jordan Doland

The Hudson Community School District welcomed 9 new teachers to the faculty on Wednesday, August 11 for a week of induction and orientation. We are excited to welcome these new teachers to our team and have them work with our students. I know you will enjoy getting to know them as much as we have! 

Heather Vaughn Originally from Dysart, IA, this Union graduate was prepared at the University of Northern Iowa and is licensed to teach English/Language Arts in grades 5-12. This is her first teaching position as is excited to start her career at Hudson High School. She is most looking forward to getting to know her students and becoming part of the Hudson Community. Heather will be teaching high school English this year at Hudson

Grace Sullivan moved from Minnesota to Iowa when she attended Drake University for her formal preparation. During that time, she earned multiple credentials including elementary education, K-8 reading and math, an ESL certification, and even high school algebra! While this is her first full time teaching position, she does have experience as a nanny and working at a day camp. She enjoys sewing, reading, gardening and art! Miss Sullivan is looking forward to meeting all the students and connecting with the community. Grace will be teaching third grade at Hudson. 

Bridget Dolan grew up in Edgewood in a family with four sisters and a brother. She earned her degree from Upper Iowa University and holds credentials in K-8 reading, 5-8 math and science, and also has a coaching authorization. While at Upper Iowa, she was an athlete on the cross country and track team. Bridget began her career at Waukon, where she taught 4 years before moving to Cedar Falls with her fiancé, Isaac. In her free time she enjoys to run, play volleyball, travel and hike. She is looking forward to meeting her students and coaching 7th grade volleyball. Bridget will be teaching first grade. 

Mitchell Stover is very familiar with the Cedar Valley, growing up in Gilbertville and attending Don Bosco. Earning his K-12 music credential at Wartburg, he spent the first couple of years of his career teaching music in southwest Iowa at Riverside High School in Oakland. He enjoys working out, singing and playing the piano and spending time with his family. An avid outdoorsman, he also enjoys camping, rock climbing and kayaking. He is looking forward to experiencing a new school district while getting to know and build relationships with the amazing students in the music department. Mitchell will teach 7-12 vocal music. 

Sophie Rieken is very excited to begin her career as a third grade teacher at Hudson. Originally from Ackley this newlywed received here formal preparation at Iowa State University and holds endorsements in math and reading. She enjoys spending time outdoors with family and friends, likes to run, bake, golf, and spend time with her new puppy Scout. She feels lucky to have a job that is also her passion, because her work brings her joy every day! She is looking forward to growing and learning alongside her students. While this is her first year as a teacher although she does have experience as a reading and math tutor.

Carla Ramsey brings a wealth of experience to our instrumental music department, with stops in both AGWSR and Dunkerton. Earning both her BA and MA at the University of Northern Iowa in music education, Mrs. Ramsey lives in Cedar Falls with her family. In her limited free time she enjoys to crochet and cross stitch. After taking a few years off, she is very much looking forward to getting back into the classroom after a couple of years away and making beautiful music with amazing kids!

Breanna Fisher is a life long Iowa Falls resident who was prepared just up the road at the University of Northern Iowa after a completing her Associates Degree at Ellsworth. Securing a Strat 1 K-8 special education endorsement, Breanna will be a great fit in on our elementary special education team. She is looking forward to putting her degree to work and working alongside the students. She hopes to foster a safe and welcoming classroom environment. 

Hannah Miedema is a graduate of the University of Northern Iowa, earning her degree in music education. Prior to her arrival at Hudson, Hannah taught in Des Moines public. Originally from Johnston, she fell in love with the Cedar Valley during her college years and now lives in Waterloo with her cat Iggy. With a love for music, Hannah has always enjoyed performing and recalls a comment from her kindergarten teacher stating that 'Hannah needs to work on singing only when it is appropriate'! In addition to music, she enjoys hiking, traveling, and cooking. She is looking forward to getting to know her students and making music together with them.

Jordan Doland as a graduate of Hudson High School, Jordan is no stranger to our community. Earning her degree from Upper Iowa University with endorsements in reading and language arts, Jordan also worked as a paraeducator in the elementary while studying to become a teacher. Jordan and her husband have two children, and her oldest, Oliver will be a kindergartener right across the hall from his mom this year! In addition to spending time with her family, Jordan enjoys sporting events and getting coffee. This year she is looking forward to partnering with her incredible co-workers and helping students to be the best they can be!

Moving Mountains (Convocation Address-Abridged)

It is great to see everyone this morning. Welcome back! You know, the energy I feel in this room right now is exciting and suggests that, you most certainly are ready—and looking forward to a normal school year. That is what we are aiming for—a relatively normal school year. I don’t think we are quite there yet, but we are awful close. 

Nevertheless, it is incumbent that we proceed with all due urgency. Perhaps it is because of the journey—the battle we fought last year and the fact that this year—this year is our opportunity to regain the momentum that in may ways was robbed from us (and our students) by the pandemic. And I know you are prepared to accept the challenge. Because after last year, you can do anything! 

To begin this morning, I am thrilled to welcome our newest colleagues. It was a great to get to know them all last week during our orientation. I’ll tell you what, they can’t wait to step into their classrooms for the first time. And looking around this room, I can tell that you are ready too! Now it is certain our faculty looks very different than it did one year ago. So while I look forward to our new faculty’s contributions, I will also lean on the leadership and experience of our veteran staff. The wisdom you bring to bear each year is a great strength of our district and serves as a foundational pillar of what it means to be a Hudson Pirate. Put together with everyone’s contributions this is a recipe for a great school year! 

I don’t know about you, but it really seems like this summer flew by in the blink of an eye! Perhaps because we [all] tried to pack so much into these days. You know, in an effort to make up for all the lost time, Ann and I had a summer filled with weekends of camping trips with the grandchildren and vacations to some not too far off destinations. While I could regal you with tales of my adventures, you can be assured that I am not that exciting. I sincerely hope you each had an opportunity to enjoy a slower and hopefully relaxing pace that comes with the summer months.

Now, before getting on with our plans for this year, I want to spend some time this morning reflecting and acknowledging the voyage we were on last year. Partly for therapeutic reasons, but more so to acknowledge the mountains you all moved in order for us to have and keep school open. While I think we are close to normal, it really wouldn’t be wise to throw caution to the wind. Indeed, I think we’ll need to depend on some of that ‘grit’ and determination that got us through last year.

Each year during this Convocation, we mark a milestone celebrating the beginning of a new school year, a fresh start, and a vision filled with a bold agenda. But last year at this time we prepared to chart a course through the unknown. We encountered obstacles that had never been faced before. To weather that storm, I asked you to Rise Up, and you did. Navigating through a school year that couldn’t have been scripted any better, you all rose to the challenge and I couldn’t be prouder of the work you did. So, before I share with you an agenda for this year, let me first say to you all, thank you and welcome to shall we say ‘close to normal!’

‘You are the engine that makes all things go.’ You are the engine that makes this school go, and our students, our kids are the reason why you moved mountains last year. Even so, as normal as we want this year to be, we’re not there yet; and we must acknowledge that we are living through a strange time in our chosen vocation. But; then again perhaps upon closer scrutiny it isn’t all that different from the obstacles that public educators have faced since the origins of the American public school system. Indeed, the past 18 months have felt like a case of whiplash. At the beginning of this most recent epochal, educators around the nation were heralded as heroes. Parades were held and heartwarming stories told of the lengths our educators went to ensure students were served. Society finally seemed to understand that the role our public school systems played in the development of young people extended far beyond the academia of the classroom. You feed. You counsel. You protect. And from time to time even provide healthcare. Then of course the tide began to change when some schools didn’t reopen fast enough for some. Or when schools taught concepts in their classrooms that made a few parents uncomfortable. Hearings were held. Laws were changed. Yet, through all the trials and tribulations of the year, you marched forward. 

You showed our community that we were committed to them and to the students we served. 

You drowned out the noise and were mission focused. 

You modeled a professionalism that demonstrated to all what a noble vocation it is to be called an educator. 

You moved mountains. But it was hard!

I share this tale of two educational paradigms not to dishearten you, but instead to lift you up! Because what you did last year was REMARKABLE, and that you are here right now is a testament to your character and dedication to the 760 some students that will walk through our doors on Monday morning.

If anything, this discourse has taught us two important things: First, our nation most certainly has come to terms with the import of our public school systems; not just as an educational enterprise, but as a key pillar of democratic civilization. Parents want their children in school. Yes, perhaps some for reasons of convenience; but for many more—most in fact understand the key to their child’s future success begins on the day they walk through our doors as kindergarteners and comes to fruition when they depart as graduates. Parents found out in the most profound of ways that the work you do is not for the faint of heart. 

Let’s also make no mistake: the proof is in the data. The contrast between those who were here with us last year and those who were not; couldn’t be starker. If ever there was a question as to the value of the service you provide this community: to this country let those data be a demonstration of your worth!

And second: truth matters and education is an everchanging and powerful commodity where you are the vessels with which we will educate the masses! What a powerful role you play! In this, there is no doubt our quest to prepare a well-informed citizenry has been put to the test. Yet, we should not mistake this as a new epiphany. But hopefully it demonstrates a recognition of the influence you yield!

Our charge, our goal is to ensure that our students don’t have to rely on catching a break or dumb luck. Because, most of the time ‘it’ won’t break the right way. Instead we have to live our mission: Create Effective Learning Environments that Result in Success for All Students. 

Fortunately, we all know that school is way different than it was when I went to school! The supports that are available to students, the programing we have to offer, and our attention to ensuring that youngsters are prepared for whatever their next step in life has in store for them—school is as different today as it ever has been! I know, the primary structure needs some attention; but look from my view. I have watched most of these kids from kindergarten. The transformation, the learning that has taken place…My God, it’s an amazing thing to witness! Let’s celebrate the magic that happens in our school. 

Yet we can’t celebrate the status quo. We have to continue improving to remain relevant. Our students are counting on us to keep our foot on the gas and help them reach new heights. To tear down walls, move mountains, remove obstacles to their learning and help them to rise.

Our students most certainly are looking for you to raise them up! And there will be many students. This year we anticipate enrollment in our district that hasn’t been seen in almost 15 years. With changes to state law and growth in residential development, the Hudson Community School District is proud to be one of the prime school destinations of choice in the Cedar Valley. 

So, with an overarching agenda for this school year, I have identified 4 key area to focus our efforts. An agenda that attends to both our youngest and our oldest students. Granted, these may not touch your day to day work but I believe it is important for you to understand our district’s focus for the school year.

Equity and Culturally Responsive Practices: Over the last year and a half this has been a topic of nationwide interest. It is paramount in our school district that all students, regardless of who they are or where they live are treated fairly. As our Core Purpose states, we must invest in the success of all students and do all we can to raise them up so they can unleash their full potential. 

Early Childhood Programming and Transitional Kindergarten: Both parents and teachers in our PK-K program have suggested we evaluate our programs to determine whether or not it makes sense for us to offer a transitional option for our ‘young’ five-year-old(s) as they transition from preschool to kindergarten. This is, no doubt a challenging dilemma, since based on enrollment growth we are also considering whether now is the time to begin transitioning to four sections of kindergarten. Nevertheless, our end goal remains the same: ensuring effective learning environments to meet the needs of all families.

Investigate and Implement Robust Career Exploration Including Internships and apprenticeships as part of our CTE program: We are excited this year to begin providing work-based internship and apprenticeships to high school students that bear credit. For years local business leaders have shared with us their difficulty finding employees for good paying jobs in their companies. This year we will take the first step in our desire to create a direct employment pipeline from our school to local businesses. 

Finally, begin planning for the high school renovation and expansion: While the pandemic may have thrown a wet blanket on our planning for the renovation of the high school, which this year will be 24 years old, we are ready to restart those discussions. Where this ultimately leads is yet to be determined but there is no mistaking the fact that the time is now to begin planning for our future facility needs as we grow.

This year, again I am asking you to rise up and build on the momentum that was gained through the tribulations of last year. I am asking you to put your students: all of them regardless of their social station; at the center of your work. Move mountains, remove obstacles, and lift your students. In so doing we all will rise!

Thank you. May the waves be gentle as we get this pirate ship underway. It's Great to be a Pirate!