THANK YOU to our Community - Approved Bond

On Tuesday, September 13, voters cast their ballots for the bond issue question. To pass, the bond issue needed to receive at least 60 percent approval. The night ended with 60.47 percent voter approval.

As a result of this approved vote, our district will be able to move forward on a series of targeted improvements at Hudson High School, including updating the building systems and aging infrastructure (such as windows, plumbing, lighting, flooring, cabinetry, and HVAC systems). We will also work on converting underused space into classrooms, creating a safer main entrance, rebuilding the career and technical education labs, and adding needed gym space.

I cannot thank our community members enough for their support and involvement throughout this entire process. As readers may know, our Community Task Force has been engaged in a comprehensive facility planning process. A community-wide survey in April and May of this year allowed our district and task force to receive valuable input as we examined facility needs and explored potential solutions. 

The petition from our community at the June 14 board meeting resulted in the bond issue question being placed on the ballot for September 13.

Having access to these funds will positively impact our students and schools in a huge way. Hudson Schools will be more equipped to prepare young people for their lives after graduation by providing much-needed educational and extracurricular resources in a comfortable and safe environment.

We look forward to sharing updates as we make headway on these exciting improvements. Once again, we would like to thank our Community Task Force for its tireless efforts and dedication to this project throughout 2021 and 2022. 

And, as always, we are incredibly grateful to our community and your continued support of the Hudson Community School District and the students we serve!

Meeting our Destiny

Each August we welcome our faculty and staff back to the district in a convocation assembly to kick off the start of a new school year. It is a time to introduce and welcome our new employees, catch up with colleagues after the summer break, and to set the tone for our upcoming journey. It is an honor for me as the superintendent to provide a 'keynote', if you will, that I hope inspires confidence and energizes our employees. This year, the title of my address was 'Meeting Our Destiny', which is the hashtag that you will see used on our social media channels in addition to the traditional #hudsonschools. 

This year, I asked our faculty and staff to focus on the idea that each of us are destined for greatness and that we must instill that belief in the students and families we serve. Our charge then, for this school year is to help our students meet their destiny. It is our duty as educators to uncover and nurture our students' talents in an effort to help them realize a life of fulfillment and happiness. To help them meet their destiny.

The beginning of a school year provides a perfect venue with which to reset our expectations and provide everyone with a fresh new start. A blank canvas if you will, on which we will create a tapestry of experiences that will hopefully guide our students on a journey of self discovery in their quest to answer the all important question: What will I be?

A yearly theme, or hashtag if you will is not a new concept here at Hudson. In fact, I have been doing it for quite a few years. It comes about over months of reflection and is a closely guarded secret that only becomes revealed during the convocation. 

I chose #MeetingOurDestiny for multiple reasons. This idea really started to come to fruition over the summer when I found myself wandering our campus on those hot Friday afternoons of summer. I really started to think about our shared historical perspective as a school district over the last decade and a half. Where we have been and where we are right now. It's really quite remarkable, but easily dismissed because we have lived through it. But to think about where we are right now doesn't tell the whole story. To stop right here would leave our tale untold. Our destiny unfulfilled. And where we are headed will be a site to behold. 

During my keynote, I took our employees on a trip down memory lane. Now, it would have been easy to focus just on these last three years, because there certainly is a lot to unpack in those boxes. But instead, we considered a much broader expanse of time, hearkening back to a time when the district was struggling financially and had to implement severe budget cuts due to decreasing enrollment. I can distinctly remember that time, especially the cold dark February evening when the school board made very painful and difficult decisions. Decisions that as painful as they were, were the right [and only] decisions that could be made at the time. The school board at that time was incredibly brave and no doubt laid the foundation for the successes the district now enjoys.

Almost a decade and a half later, the picture couldn't be more different. In just the last two years, our enrollment has grown by almost 10%, our financial position is very strong, and the academic performance of our students is unmatched. Through a vision that was collectively embraced as a school district and proud community, we have turned our school into a destination district for many.  Families are flocking to our schools because of the quality education that our teachers and employees deliver and our relentless focus on creating effective learning environments that result in success for all students.

These accomplishments are not accidental. They happen by design. Its' in our DNA. They happen because of the hard work put in by our employees, their ability to drown out the noise, and their unrelenting focus on excellence. 

Three years ago, when we first emerged from the pandemic I chose the theme and hashtag #PirateRising during my opening remarks. I borrowed this from the popular image of a phoenix rising from the ashes, which signifies the emergence from a catastrophe stronger, smarter, and more powerful. I wanted us to rise above the wreckage of how the prior school year ended and prove to ourselves and our community that, not only could we open our schools, but we could keep them open and provide our students with an outstanding education. It was challenging, and by the time the school year was over, there were many schools who could not make that claim. Our schools did. 

Then last year, I challenged our employees to  #MoveMountains and to put their students—all of them, regardless of their social station—at the center of their work. To remove obstacles and lift our students. Our teachers answered the bell and made it happen. 

This year I ask, after all the challenges that we have faced together, to help our students answer with confidence: What will I be? Help our students to meet their destiny so they can realize their dreams and one day, when they grow up, they can be whatever it is they want—even a veterinarian. 

Strong Schools: Strong Community

These will be my final remarks about the upcoming special election on September 13. By the time this hits the newspaper, we will be just days away from the election. No matter your position, I encourage you to take every advantage to make your voice heard. 

This has been an extraordinary process that has been over a year in the making. It started to gain momentum a summer ago, when the Board of Education held discussions surrounding the aging mechanical systems in the high school. It blossomed from there. 

Of course, the hard work really began in January, when we first convened our community task force. Throughout this journey, I have been steadfast in my position that our work and this plan had to be community driven. By no means did we set out to place a bond issue on the ballot simply because the superintendent thought it was a good idea. In the final analysis, I'll have exactly as much say in the outcome as you will: one vote.

I would like to thank all the community members who served on our task force. The gift of your time was greatly appreciated. You provided key input, helped think critically about our school building, and crafted a recommendation to the board that drove to the heart of sifting through our “needs” and our “wants.” Regardless of the result on September 13, your work is to be commended. 

I also want to thank all those who took time out of their busy schedules to attend our community meetings. You asked great questions and provided helpful feedback.

Now, I want to circle back to what could be one of the most important components of this project: the Career and Technical Education Center—commonly known as the “shop.” Our current shop building is a repurposed factory from a bygone era, used for our industrial arts and agriculture programs. While the facility met our needs in the past, it does not reflect a good use of space or today’s industry standards. 

Our plan calls for razing that building and constructing a new center dedicated to the two programs. 

Some have questioned why we do not utilize the Waterloo Career Center instead of building a new shop building. The fact is that we do use the WCC for career strands not offered in the district, with the most notable being nursing. But for those we do offer here, it makes sense for students to participate in their home district. 

Additionally, the 14-minute commute to and from the WCC would consume at least three periods of the school day. The WCC also does not have an agriculture program. 

In my view, we want to educate our students here in our community. For the first time in two decades, we have four full-time CTE instructors in our district. The career and technical education programs we offer are second to none. 

In the final analysis, there is no mistaking the fact that strong schools make for a strong community. Ensuring we have a comprehensive array of course offerings across a broad spectrum of disciplines only strengthens our school.