At a glance
Half of this meeting went to a long, tense conversation with the organizers of the Hudson Children's Book Festival. Board members pressed on why the festival's website lists the school's address, how the festival is set up as a business, whether festival money had run through the district's endowment fund, and whether the district has ever sponsored the festival or only partnered with it. Organizers said the arrangements were put in place years ago by district leaders, that no one has ever been paid, and that the questioning felt like a gotcha; board members said they are a new board with a new superintendent and want the relationship written down in an agreement. Earlier the board heard the outgoing student representative's last report, an overview of the district comprehensive improvement plan and its four priorities, and a request from the athletic director to take the varsity boys basketball team to a tournament in Springfield in January. The board also opened a 30 day comment period on the district safety plan and moved its consensus agenda in three separate motions, though the captions record only the words 'all in favor' and never the responses.
The Student Representative's Last Report
The outgoing student representative gave her final report, summarizing a student climate survey by hand because the presentation she had prepared was not on the agenda.
Key points
- She said the survey found student concerns centered on the bathrooms and the hallways
- Students gather and hold their own meetings in the hallways, which she said is frustrating for students and teachers alike
- Bathroom doors are locked for security, but coverage is uneven: some doors have no one posted, so students leave class to find someone to open them and lose more class time
- She asked the board to focus on those two issues in the coming year
- She reported that graduation rehearsal walkthrough was the next day and that the last Regents exam had been given that day
- She introduced Thomas as the incoming student representative and said she had every faith in him
The student representative is not a board member. The captions give her first name clearly and garble the surname, so only the first name is used here. The same is true of the incoming representative, introduced as Thomas.
How the District Improvement Plan Was Built
Before the plan itself was presented, a department chair described the process behind it, saying it was built from school level plans upward rather than handed down from the district.
Key points
- The superintendent said the process was collaborative, involving administration, staff, parents and a board member, and that a staff survey on the process was attached to the board's materials
- School level teams met together as a single district level team, broke into smaller groups to write their building plans, then came back to present and critique each other's work
- The district worked with an outside consultant, referred to as Miss Adams, who assembled the district level plan from the school level plans
- Teams started by comparing where the district is with where they want it to be, then reviewed test scores, attendance, discipline and student interview results
- The speaker said she has served on improvement plan committees for roughly 20 years and that past processes were top down, with schools told to fit their plans to a district plan already written
- The plan runs 30 pages before anything is added to it
The captions spell this speaker's name two ways, 'Dr Corel' and 'Dr carel,' and give the consultant's first name only as an unclear fragment. The surname Adams is spoken.
Four Priorities in the Improvement Plan
The superintendent walked the board through the four priorities of the district comprehensive improvement plan, each with its strategies and the measures the district will use to judge success.
Key points
- Priority one commits to a culture of collaboration, with professional learning communities, coaching cycles, data teaming, a coordinated master schedule and embedded professional development. One measure is 80% of teams demonstrating best practices on a district developed secondary continuum, with baseline data set during an initial visit to each CPT (common planning time) in the fall.
- Priority two commits to a multi-tiered system of support, using the Branching Minds framework across grades K through 12. Measures include a 3% decrease in the out of school suspension rate and a 3% decrease in chronic absenteeism.
- Training on the multi-tiered system for administrators, principals and teacher teams is set for July 15 and 16. The presenter first said June and corrected herself.
- Priority three commits to social and emotional learning through the RULER curriculum, measured by 100% building implementation in grades K through 12, evidenced by pacing guides and self assessments, plus 80% of walkthroughs showing tier one fidelity
- Priority four commits to reducing disproportionality in student performance through project-based learning, measured by 3% increases in class participation, attendance, student engagement on a student survey, and family participation in family nights and parent conferences
- The plan was sent to the state nearly a month before its July 15 due date. The presenter said the state had sent feedback she had only skimmed and that it was very positive.
- The plan will be posted on the district website along with a vocabulary list, so the public can follow the education jargon in it
The auto-captions render the social and emotional curriculum as both 'Rula' and 'ruler' and the support framework as 'mtss.' The percentages above were checked against the transcript, but a reader should confirm program names against the posted plan.
Thanks and a Cake as the Year Closes
The board reordered its agenda so the departing student representative could leave early, then the superintendent read thank-yous to her and to two people finishing their service to the district.
Key points
- A motion to adjust the agenda was made so the student representative could go. The captions record 'all in favor' but not the responses.
- The superintendent thanked the student representative, Fatima, for representing students well and presented a token of appreciation
- The superintendent then read a statement of thanks to two people she named as Miss Graham and Miss Jones, praising their leadership, their willingness to listen to different perspectives, and their effect on students and the community
- Tokens of appreciation and a small cake were brought out
- The moment was followed by applause and a break in the recording while people came to the front of the room
The transcript does not state what roles Miss Graham and Miss Jones held, and the captions garble the length of their service. The opening roll call is also largely unintelligible, so this page does not say who was present.
Basketball Team Asks to Travel to a Springfield Tournament
The athletic director asked the board to approve an overnight trip for the varsity boys basketball team to a national tournament in Springfield over Martin Luther King weekend.
Key points
- The tournament, which the captions render as the 'Hoopa Classic,' is a nationwide event that is expanding to smaller Northeast schools. It guarantees two games and would place Hudson in a bracket of similarly sized schools.
- Possible opponents would come from Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire and Massachusetts, and every player and coach would get free entry to the Basketball Hall of Fame
- The trip would fall on January 18 and 19, Martin Luther King weekend, with no school the following Monday
- The team generally carries 12 players; three coaches and a scorekeeper would go
- Cost to the district is a $500 entry fee already covered by the athletic budget, which the athletic director said also pays entry fees for track invitationals and similar events
- The basketball club would cover hotel, transportation and food through donations and fundraising. Hotel rooms were quoted at about $150 for the one night, for a total of $1,000 to $1,200.
- He said he had spoken with Tabitha about sharing a Youth Department van to cut transportation costs, since two of his coaches already drive for the department, and that no student would be asked to pay for anything
- Asked whether success leads to a larger tournament, he said no, it is a one weekend event. Asked whether he would want to go every year, he said yes if it works as a team bonding experience.
The number of hotel rooms is garbled in the captions, which read '78 rooms.' The dollar totals above are as spoken. The transcript also records no vote on the trip: the athletic director finished, thanked the board and left the floor, and roughly 30 seconds of the recording after that are blank.
Safety Plan Comment Period and Public Comment
The board moved to open a 30 day comment period on the district safety plan, then opened public comment, where a school counselor and a student spoke about the My Brother's Keeper program.
Key points
- A motion was made to open a 30 day comment period on the district safety plan, running from June 25, 2024 to July 25, 2024, as state law requires. The captions record no second and no vote.
- A board member explained that state law does not require a public comment period but the board holds one anyway, and that the board is there to listen rather than respond, with answers coming at a future meeting
- Rocky King, a school counselor at the high school, said he served this year as a mentor for the My Brother's Keeper fellows and thanked two administrators, rendered in the captions as Dr. Penman and Dr. Pressy, saying the program would not exist without them
- He said the two fellows are volunteer firefighters, athletes, involved in the community and working, and that he had never seen anything like it in his time at the district
- He said one fellow was interviewed for a documentary and served on a student panel at a symposium in front of thousands of people, and that an outside group he called the MBK Alliance had taken an interest
- A student then thanked the board and the program, saying he had been very shy and that the program opened him up and prepared him for moments like speaking in public
The captions garble the names of the two program fellows and drop the name of the student who spoke, so no names are given for them here.
Superintendent's Year-End Thanks and the Consensus Agenda
The superintendent closed out her first year with a statement of thanks, and the board then moved its consensus agenda in three separate motions after pulling two items for individual votes.
Key points
- The superintendent thanked the Board of Education and the community for their support during her first year as superintendent
- She said the collaboration and the board's dedication to students had made a positive impact, and that she looked forward to continuing the work
- She thanked the board for its trust and for making her feel like a valued member of the community
- The board pulled items B and H from the consensus agenda, then moved to accept item A, items C through G, and items I through X together
- Items B and H were each moved separately after that
- The captions record a second and the words 'all in favor' on the consensus motions, but not the responses, so this page does not state how members voted
Policies Up for a First Read
Under new business, the board was handed a set of policies for a first read, described as annual re-adoptions rather than new policy.
Key points
- The speaker said these are not new policies but ones the district reviews every year
- The list read aloud included policies 0115 with its D and R versions, 1900, 5100, 5300 and 5300.26, 6240R, and 6700
- A board member asked about the D policy and was told the only changes were to the athletic code of conduct, not the regular code of conduct
- Those changes were worked on with the athletic director
- Board members were asked to review the policies and raise questions or concerns before the next policy committee meeting
Two of the policy numbers are garbled in the captions, read as '624' and '67- R,' so the list above may not be exact. The agenda packet is the reliable source.
Dates Ahead
The board ran through the calendar for the rest of June and into July, and said no executive session was needed.
Key points
- Second grade award ceremony Wednesday, June 26, 2024 at 9:00 a.m. in the auditorium
- Third grade award ceremony the same day, June 26, 2024, in the same auditorium
- Class of 2024 graduation Friday, June 28, 2024 at 7:00 p.m. in the high school auditorium
- A board reorganization meeting at the high school at 6:00 p.m., on a date the captions garble
- Policy committee meeting July 23, 2024 at the high school library at 5:00 p.m. The speaker said June first and corrected to July.
- Regular Board of Education meeting Tuesday, July 23, 2024 at the high school library at 6:00 p.m.
- The board confirmed it did not need an executive session, then called for the community report
The time of the third grade ceremony is garbled in the captions, read as '1 at 10: p.m.' The reorganization meeting date is read as 'Tuesday June 9th 2024,' a date already past when this meeting was held, so the actual date is not in evidence. Roughly 40 seconds of the recording after the community report was called are blank, and nothing of a community report appears in the transcript.
Book Festival at the Table: Address, Structure, and the Word Sponsor
The board invited organizers of the Hudson Children's Book Festival to sit down for a public conversation, and opened with questions about where the festival lives on paper and what its relationship to the district actually is.
Key points
- A board member said the board's goal is to make sure the festival continues and that there is clarity for employees, administrators and the community
- Asked where the festival is headquartered, organizers said there is nothing that lives year round and that donations go to the Hudson Literacy Fund, a nonprofit
- Board members pointed out that the festival website lists 215 Harry Howard Avenue, the school's address. Organizers said that is because the festival has been held there for the last 12 years.
- Asked about its business structure, an organizer said the festival is a DBA registered to her home address. Board members said that address, or the literacy fund's, is what belongs on the website for transparency.
- A board member drew a line between partnership and sponsorship, saying sponsorship means funding, that the district does not fund the festival, and that the district has supported it the way any renter is supported, by providing space under a facility request form
- The same board member said a letter from the superintendent saying the district does not sponsor the festival created a public misunderstanding, because the community read it as the district pulling away
- Organizers said the school district logo has been on the poster since the festival began, that they see partnership as covering venue, volunteers, space and logistics, and that they had asked to meet ahead of time and could not get a meeting
- A board member said the questions are coming up because the board and the superintendent are both new
These are YouTube auto-captions with no speaker names. The organizers and board members in this exchange are not individually identified except where someone said a name aloud.
Checks, the Endowment Fund, and Staff Time
The questioning moved to money and work hours: whether district officials signed checks for the festival, whether festival funds moved through the district's endowment fund, and whether staff worked on the festival during the school day.
Key points
- Asked whether district employees or officers, including the current or a former superintendent, had ever been asked to sign checks for the festival, organizers said no and that checks did not run through the district
- A speaker then said some of the confusion involves the district's endowment fund, which requires the superintendent to release checks, and that festival money ran through the endowment fund until this year
- Asked why that stopped, a speaker said the superintendent would not agree to have anything to do with it
- A board member said a board has to be fiscally responsible for what comes into and leaves the district, and that the two organizations look too close together to leave unanswered
- Asked whether any district staff are paid to work on the festival, organizers said no one has ever been paid and that the work is done on their own time
- A board member said that last year a request was made for substitutes so staff could carry out festival duties, and raised the use of students' images and a banner left up for weeks as matters within the district's authority to regulate
- A board member noted the website's contact email is a Hudson City School District address. An organizer said it was changed to a Gmail address over a year ago; a board member said an email address is still listed there.
- A speaker said the district has consulted legal counsel and has been told the district's address must come off the festival website
Organizers Push Back, and Both Sides Ask for It in Writing
An organizer said the questioning felt like a gotcha and that the arrangements were set years ago by district leaders. The conversation ended with both sides agreeing something should be written down, a short exchange about how authors are chosen, and adjournment.
Key points
- An organizer said the festival is practically a Hudson institution, that she and Jen have put hundreds of hours into it on their own time outside the school day, and that she did not feel welcomed in the room
- She said the logistics being questioned were set in place by people in leadership so the festival could happen, never for any nefarious reason, and that all of it could have been handled by sitting down and talking
- She said a teacher, Lisa Dolan, had the vision to start the festival in partnership with a retired former superintendent whose name the captions garble
- On the one exception to school time, she said a substitute is used the day before the festival to host authors, under a building use form naming the festival, and that this has been an accepted practice for years
- A board member explained the conversation is public because open meetings law bars the board from gathering privately. Organizers said they had twice been invited in writing to an executive session and were startled to be in front of cameras. Board members and staff went back and forth over who was supposed to tell them, and an apology was offered.
- Board members said they want an agreement written down so the public can see that the district and the festival are separate organizations working in partnership, and so neither is liable for the other
- Asked how authors are chosen, organizers said an application goes out each year, more than 250 people applied this year, the festival caps participation at 80 authors (up from 50 when it started), and matching the authors to the makeup of the district's students is a top priority
- The superintendent said she would have to consult legal counsel on how any ongoing partnership should be structured, and a board member said the board would come back to the organizers with suggestions and steps
- A motion was made to adjourn at 7:14. The captions record a second and 'all in favor' but not the responses.
No agreement was drafted or voted on at this meeting. The board said it would consult its lawyer and return to the organizers with suggested next steps, and organizers said they would look at whatever is drawn up.
About this page
FUTURE HUDSON is an experiment in civic engagement: every public meeting of the City of Hudson since January 2026, transcribed and made readable, so any resident can follow what the city is deciding without attending every meeting. This page covers one meeting; see the full archive.
How it was made
The meeting video was transcribed automatically; the transcript was then organized into sections and summarized. The raw transcript is above, every claim can be checked against it.
What to be skeptical of
The transcript is automated and contains speech-recognition errors; names and numbers may be wrong. This page has not been reviewed by a human. Nothing here is an official record, the school district's official minutes are authoritative.
About coverage of this body
Board of Education meetings are livestreamed by the Hudson City School District to its own YouTube channel. The school district is a separate government from the City of Hudson. If a meeting is missing from the archive, the recording was likely not posted. See the archive index for the full coverage note.