Issues

We have a funding issue for our schools. There are finite resources and the state funding formula puts our district at a disadvantage. The coming gaps in Hudson’s operational budget are significant and cannot be filled through one-time grants or foundation funding. The post-referendum community survey identified that 70% of respondents would recommend Hudson schools to others, yet nearly 43% did not vote or voted no on the referendum. These data indicate we have a significant portion of our community that we need to engage with more to help identify common priorities and appetite for a new operational referendum. In the end, the Board and Administration will need to find a path forward that keeps District expenditures within funding limits. 

While buildings provide tangible structures that our entire community sees and connects with, it is the staff who are the backbone of the District. Teachers engage with our children every day, using their training to teach our children important skills and help set a foundation for students to become life-long learners. With children in the district, I have seen firsthand the impact of not having sufficient staff. This year my son’s science teacher, new to the district, resigned within the first month of the school year resulting in a long-term sub taking over the class. Staffing issues are not unique to Hudson, it is happening within the larger ecosystem of teacher burnout, fewer people going into the teaching profession, and overall worker shortages. Finding and retaining staff is an issue every industry (public and private) is facing. It is clear the Board and Administration have been working on ways to recruit and retain staff – from offering sign-on bonuses, offering staff access to child care in the District, creating more recognition opportunities (i.e., Cheers for Peers), and implementing a new compensation structure. Even with these efforts, staffing will remain a critical issue for the District. We need strong qualified teachers and staff.

The mental health and well-being of our students and staff remains an important issue for HSD and our community. The data continue to show more people are not doing okay – from feeling consistent levels of sadness and hopelessness to increases in depression and anxiety. Our local data align with state and national data which find: 

• 4 in 10 students reported they felt persistently sad or hopeless.[1]
• Nearly one-third reported they experienced poor mental health in the past 12 months.[1]
• 1 in 5 Americans will experience a mental illness in a given year.[2]

The District's Mental Health Task Force is important for engaging the community in understanding the issue and connecting families and students with resources. The District’s commitment to address mental health is evident in their co-location of mental health services within school buildings, offering Mental Health First Aid training and launching the Speak Up Speak Out app - all strong achievements. While these efforts are important and critical, they primarily address the issue at the individual and family level. I believe that we must continue the conversation about larger system-level changes within the District to ensure we are supporting positive mental health and well-being for students and staff.

An opportunity is a set of circumstances that make something possible. I think the above challenges are also our opportunities when we work in partnership with the community, parents and staff, to find a path forward - that is the strength of Hudson. The High School referendum tells us this community needs time and conversation, and to see the ask for additional money is also reflective of their goals and concerns. The community engagement plan the District and Board are putting in place is an important part of finding that path forward for all of our challenges.

[1] Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data Summary and Trends Report: 2011- 2021. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2021.

[2] Key substance use and mental health indicators in the United States: Results from the 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Rockville, MD: Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. 2016.