A Legacy of Service and Succession: Matt Sallee

Retiring board member
Matt Sallee is recognized by
President David Ball for his
dedicated service to the
Hudson Board of Directors.

A common them almost always emerges when asking board members what drew them to board service. Matt's answer eight years ago was no different. He talked about the experience his own children had in Hudson and was grateful they had the opportunities they did at Hudson. When he originally ran, he felt this was a great way to give back to his community and ensuring that all students have the same positive experiences as his own children. 

As he finishes up his final term on the board, Matt offers sage advice and reflections from his time on the Board. 

I have truly enjoyed the experience these last 8 years being part of such an outstanding team.  We are extremely fortunate to live in a community with outstanding students, teachers, staff, and parents.  Hudson's reputation speaks for itself and high performing students and instructors are considered the norm.  This is certainly not the case in every district and Hudson should never take that for granted.  During my time on the board, I quickly realized how fortunate our district is to have such a strong and experienced team of school administrators.  The level of professionalism exhibited by the administration cascades down into the entire district and sets the bar at a high level constantly driving for excellence.  I’ve always been proud to say I was part of such a well run organization.

One constant facing school boards is the need to make tough decisions.  My approach was to always bring an open mind, lean on the experience gained from years of working with people in business, and at the end of the day let common sense guide us to the best solutions. 

As a board we accomplished some great things in the last 8 years.  Some of the highlights I'm most proud of include:

• Keeping the school open through the vast majority of the pandemic
• Remodel of the Elementary
• Successfully passing a bond issue to renovate and expand the high school
• Working in good faith to pay our teachers the best we can while remaining fiscally responsible
• Helping to manage the school budget to ensure full transparency and an extreme level of financial responsibility for the tax payers in the city of Hudson

As for some parting words of advice for his successors, Matt offers the following: 

• Take the time to understand the financials...it's very complicated, but important
• Keep an open mind, but let common sense guide you
• Lean on your board president's expertise and past experiences.  Dave is an outstanding person who brings a wealth of, "been there, done that" experience. 

Matt brought a wealth of experience to his service that only strengthened the work of the entire Board. He was a good listener, and when he did speak it was always through a lens of common sense. Matt's strengths were many, but among them are his keen business acumen. I could always count on him to ask thoughtful questions, particularly around the areas of school finance. 

Thank you for your service, Matt! We are better because of your leadership!