Board of Education, Regular Meeting transcript: FUTURE HUDSON

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0:28e e e e e like to call this me into order and please ask that everyone rise for the Pledge of Allegiance Al to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice all thank you.
2:57Tracy Mark the here Amanda grer here Kristen gusterson here Willette Jones here Calvin Lewis Here Matthew maer here luia Walker here thank you.
3:18anyone have any questions on the agenda I make a motion to accept the agenda as presented second all in favor okay student representative report
3:35hi uh Thomas rinsky um I have quite a few things to mention today um I'll start first with things that have happened since the last meeting uh so I think it was two days ago on Sunday or yeah Sunday uh our Varsity Club and uh Hawks against cancer ran a wathon um and uh for breast cancer awareness and yesterday uh thanks to a donation by the owner of meow Greens Golf Course uh Juniors and seniors were able to uh go on a golfing field trip and go over there and play nine holes which is a lot of fun awesome
4:16uh coming up soon uh tomorrow uh sophomores are going to Bard College for a college tour um this also opens up up their uh like the ability to do The Bard Early College uh program that they offered for Hudson Valley students that Hudson has um a few students in um and then on November 1st uh there's a performance at Hudson Hall that all students um are able to go attend um it's about Frederick Douglas and yeah
4:54uh we also have the model un uh conference is on November 3rd um yeah I'm pretty sure we've been approved for funding and we're good to go so that's nice um and on November 7th is which was a Thursday is Powderpuff which is basically uh a team comprised of junior girls playing against a team of senior girls in a match of football and the boys cheerlead so a lot of fun um um yeah I think that's that
5:30oh yeah also uh SAT scores came out on October 18th um some students want me to mention that and also kind of to segue uh I've talked with you know uh a lot of my classmates and specifically today I talked to my executive Council in student in student council um and well one uh there's kind of been a little bit of I'll say uh more focus on underachieving students in the Hudson City School District rightly so um but things like the past sat tutoring that the school has offered um and other opportunities that I've heard of like well I mean for example AP classes being up for debate and even being in the in the school kind of gives uh higher achieving students um a feeling of being uh neglected almost and I think this is definitely a recent thing uh just since past Co I feel it um
6:44and yeah I just like to kind of bring to the board you know in the in the name of I remember um the Dei coordinator talking um at the last meeting about um you know wanting to provide opportunities and more chances to students who are looking to be at a at a um highly um achieving you know path and especially now being a senior um trying to apply to highly selective colleges you know I I see where our district lacks and sees where for students who you know want to apply to selective colleges and um want to you know challenge themselves in the Hudson City School District it can be hard sometimes to get the resources that they need and um have all the chances to you know meet up with other students you know across the state across the country so thank you
7:51understand thank you for the perspective okay presentation resource
8:25good evening everyone I here to you just pause for one second I don't think your mic is working and I want to make sure people can hear speaking to [Music] the
8:44she I proved you with detail summ of the Des current status topics cover I hope you all an opport to review it in conducting this audit there were a few things that immed stood out to me one is that your HR department is currently very fragmented with HR responsibilities spread amongst numerous departments and individuals therefore there is no one person who has a full understanding of the duties and responsibilities of this department this also jeopardizes the confidentiality that is typically upheld in your HR department
9:21the lack of processes in your HR department is also an issue every function in Human Resources has a process which when follow creates order and efficiency these processes must be established inh here to to run an effective HR department and I just want to let you know this is not unusual in the absence of an HR director and I do want to congratulate you on your recent hire of Miss Brooks I believe her foundation is building leader leader gives her the background to draw to be a successful HR Director I have been working with her and believe she will do an ex
10:02Miss Brooks and her staff will need everyone's patience as they avel a number of issues and develop the processes necessary to run an efficient and effective HR work it will take time to complete these tasks
10:17as you know I covered a number of topics in the HR audit I explained HR information systems required onboarding forms such as I9 public the allegiance fingerprinting seniority lists and preferred to eligible lists tonight I would like to just summarize the critical areas that need immediate attention
10:42first of all your personnel consent agenda everyone is familiar with the Personnel consent agenda this is where we make all of our hires we appoint me ten years sority all of our Personnel actions take place of this document it is a very important document Human Resources every appointment has to be in compliance with education law Civil Service law and collective bargaining agreement accuracy is of the utmost importance there are some compliance issues that must be addressed AP language must be included as required by regulations tenure areas must be in compliance with Part 30 of commissioner's regulations 10e area certification status and probationary appointment start mandates need to be clearly stated by providing an example of the format Personnel consent agenda as well as a part 30 tenure areas for reference
11:43another area that needs attention is certification and licensing when a certificated or licensed employee is hired the certification or license is verified but there's been no followup often times the teacher maybe have an initial certification or they can have a provisional certification which does
12:06expire someone needs to oversee that process to make sure with the certificates expire the employee is notified and HR need to support them in that process and help them to give their certification coaching certification there is presently no oversight of coaching certification which is a great liability to the district. I know in the era of teacher shortages that we're in now we sometimes hire an uncertified teacher but it's important how we appoint them we must appoint them as a term or temporary appointment to be in compliance with education law an uncertified teacher cannot earn seniority as they are not qualified to do the job until they are certified your EOC title6 this prohibits job disc with a variety of laws including the American with Disabilities Act age discrimination employment and Equal Pay Act the district is in compliance with compliance posters throughout the district you do have a board policy and regulations posted on the district website there are notices on the job postings.
13:19the only thing you're lacking is a title six compliance officer I noticed at the reorganizational meeting one was not appointed that would be Miss B responsibility it will be her responsibility to become familiar with these different discrimination laws and she should be appointed as a title say compliance officer hiring process is another important area when I asked about the hiring process in the district I was given a guideline it's very well documented but then when I talk to a few people I found out it's not fed it's not consistently fed there's been write down in the process. Miss Brooks is currently reviewing the hiring process once it is finalized with the superintendent she will share it with all administrators Ure ensure it is followed consistently this will protect the Integrity of the process ensure that all positions posted have been approved and budgeted for and that all candidates are treated equally.
14:22onboarding and new employee orientation I've talked a few people people that were hired recently and they said they have did not feel welcome to the district. the process is very disjointed they're onboarded through school front which is a computer process you fill all the forms out and get sent so there's been no sense of feeling welcome to the district. the district must develop a better on boarding process toensure that all new employees are fully informed in the benefits of offer to them and also fully informed of their job expectations and where they can obtain information they need to perform their job successfully another suggestion that I have and that I've used in other districts is the non-instructional employees never get the welcome that the teachers get there's always a new teacher orientation in the summer but districts typically don't help hold something for than on instructional employees and I think that's very important to make everyone feel welcome.
15:31the 10e riew process at the present time the superintendent's office is manually tracking commissionary appointments and overseeing the tenure process. I recommend that the HR department take this responsibility over utilizing a digital system. the director will track all non- tenure teachers administrators and teaching assistants and notify all administrators in the fall of each year the date in which their probationary period ends. the HR Director will provide the 10e recommendation documents and work in collaboration with the superintendent and executive director of teaching and learning in the oversight of this process employee evaluations based on my conversations I was informed that both the APR APR plan for teachers and nppr plan for administrators are filed according to the collective bargaining agreements also based on my conversations with District staff it does not appear that support staff are being evaluated.
16:33this makes it difficult to assess an employee's performance and to provide meaningful areas of growth and Improvement I recommend the HR develop a formalized process for ensuring that non-instruction employees are evaluated employee monitoring employee attendance this is another area that is very fragmented. when cap is the absence management system utilized by The District employees can enter their time time clocks are PCS. the problem is there are a number of stakeholders who engage in the management of employee absences including secretaries and supervisors there is no one person responsible for the oversight of absence management this responsibility falls under human resources. the process needs to be developed and followed consistently and the HR Director must work in collaboration with building leaders and District supervisors regularly reviewing attendance data and addressing excessive use for questionable patterns.
17:47I reviewed a number of personnel files I discovered you have two systems for personnel files one is a paper system and one is an electronic system the electronic system syst was started in um 2023 but all of the Personnel files have not been scanned into the electronic system so you're utilizing both paper and electronic. I did review I sampled 30 Personnel files and I determined that some of the hiring documentation was not present there was not always um identification for the I9 transcripts weren't always present licenses and evaluations. I do recommend that all Personnel files are scanned in schoolfront to provide an efficient streamline filing system that will provide easy access for the benefit of all also a comprehensive onboarding checklist should be developed to ensure all required documents are received before a new employee starts work.
18:51change order process this is communication between HR and payroll to ensure that any change in an employees hours salary is communicated effectively all pay actions that are not related to overtime are authorized in the form of a board approved board resolution. we typically communicate this by the way of the Personnel consent agenda there have been instances where at a board meeting uh Nate was pulled a revision was made and the communication didn't get to the payroll office. I would recomend recommend that after the board meeting on the Personnel consent agenda the board clerk initial the final copy give a copy to the HR Director and give a copy to the payroll report to ensure that no errors are made.
19:44the Family Medical Leave Act provides qualified employees with up to 12 weeks of unpaid job protected leave per year. the responsibility was in the superintendent's office but it has shifted back to R where it should be the director of HR must develop a consistent process in alignment with the US Department of Labor regulations and all employees must be fully informed of their rights when requesting have MLA uh employee relations and conflict resolution at the present time employee relations and conflict issues are handled at the building level until unless it rises to a certain level which then it goes to the superintend this could create a problem for employees who may want to report issues with their immediate supervisors and also sometimes supervisors need assistance with a dispute. the HR Director should be the
20:43point person for employee disputes she will be the resource for administrators who need assistance with an employee issue this provides centralized vocation or confidential conversations to summarize your HR department is one of the most risk-prone areas of your school district your department is currently very fragmented with HR responsibilities spread amongst numerous departments and individuals without one expert overseeing these responsibilities you increase your liability for lawsuits such as discrimination sexual harassment gender and sexual orientation FMLA violations wage and hour claims workplace violence and workplace safety.
21:29the school district's human resource department also needs to provide quality service that not only protects a district from liability but also will attract develop motivate and retain diverse personnel and a supportive educational environment but should it should be seen as a face of the district and the resource for all employees any questions
21:53I think it's implied in your presentation but this was your review was conducted before Miss Brook started correct
21:59okay and um I guess we have a we have a road map we're planning on implementing all the changes and executing them
22:06absolutely the system that's the purpose of the needs assessment to put in consistent fair and Equitable systems and human resources [Music] department sorry about that would you like us to repeat what we just said
22:36okay uh yes it was uh that we have a road mapap to implement the changes that were just presented
22:42and So I responded Yes and that was the purpose of the needs assessment being done in the HR department so that we can create fair and Equitable um services and just to streamline and create systems throughout the HR Department
23:01thank you thank you thank you very much
23:09okay old business so yeah this is the third reading of the graduation ceremonies uh policy which I know Dr pressy worked with uh Mr rean on um reflect how they usually um approach speakers does anybody have any questions comments
23:38let's do it uh make a motion to approve amended policy 4772 graduation ceremonies
23:48second
23:48all in favor
23:55great okay thank you there's no need for executive see
24:08okay I would like to make a motion to accept the Personnel agendum items a through M
24:18second
24:18all in favor
24:22public form uh Tracy did anybody sign up for public forum
24:52all right uh ladies and gentlemen we're about to convene to the public comment period of our meeting while state law does not require us to hold a public comment period we have chosen to do so because we believe it is crucial for us to hear from our community members about their concerns and issues having said that please note that the board is here to listen the public comment period is not designed to be a discussion accordingly please do not expect the board to respond to your concerns and questions tonight.
25:15it's because we take your concerns and questions seriously and want to have sufficient time to process and research issues if need be however we'll respond to your questions and concerns at a future meeting or have the proper staff member give back to at the appropriate time also want to point out that under state and federal privacy laws we are unable to entertain any comments or questions about school Personnel please know that we take these concerns very seriously and on these matters we actually go through the proper administrative channels um each speaker has three minutes
25:46so we have le Stephano microphone come there
26:00you go he look at that can everybody hear me up there excellent been on stage for years so hopefully I know how to use a microphone I'd like to say hello and thank you to the board for your time tonight this is my first time entering one of these public meetings this is one this is one of my first times speaking publicly well because it's my first meeting it is I didn't expect to come on so early and though I wouldn't like to count my chickens before they hatch I've been applied since May and I've been subbing since November desperately trying to get into a TA appointment appointed spot and I believe I heard that tonight I may be appointed by the board again I thought that would have come up first before I got up here but if I am board members I thank you and I thank you for recognizing me
26:44the reason I came and I decided to come up today is because go back in time a little bit in Rome they had something where they said education is the pursuit of the good good the beautiful and the true in my short time in Hudson about a year I find plenty of the good and I find plenty of the true but one thing I feel we are lagging in is the beautiful.
27:13education for my students sometimes feels like a grind to Stone it's math it's social studies it's English and while it is satiating to the Imp mind it is not nurturing to the creative believe me we have our classes we have art we have music we have Agriculture and these are great but the students are crying for more I'd like to try to plant a seed tonight I'd like to try to plant a seed and getting this idea moving forward of what our children need in addition to their math their English their social studies and their health classes is enrichment through real world classes.
27:58I cannot tell you how many times in a week as my current capacity as a sub I get asked by a student Mr D as they call me could you please sew my shirt my parents don't have time can you help me fix my backpack can you help me fix my RC car can you help me fix this shelf how do I do this Mr you how and King Le Shakespeare said said heavy is the head that wears the crown and I tell you with the weight of the entire junior high on my head looking for these needs my head is heavy so I'd like to share this crown with the board of and I'd like to say please help me together with this burden help these kids not only learn the things they need to but very so crucially the things they want to because an Engaged student who can sew his own socks together who can go home and say I can put my sh back together is a student pursuing the beautiful thank you
29:08thank you [Applause] congratulations
29:16Laura Bender made very talking about that to follow
29:31good evening everybody my name is Laura Bender I'm a social studies teacher at hson high school and I have been for the past 12 years I'm here tonight to urgently address some concerns about the roll out of multiple new District initiatives from a high
29:46school perspective first before I start I want to be very clear we as teachers support efforts to enhance our students success each and every day Hudson has a very proud history of successful collaborative initiatives between our faculty and our Administration however the recent roll out of initiatives feels brushed lacking clear communication and meaning F full faculty input or partnership.
30:16I would like to use the Achieve 3000 initiative as a case study for my claim for those who are unfamiliar Achieve 3000 is an online program focused on measuring student reading level and providing non-fiction based texts to students to level up their reading while this goal of improving student reading levels is commendable and needed this initiative operates under a false assumption that Hudson teachers don't understand our students needs don't use data effectively and don't differentiate our instruction to meet needs to meet the needs of students where they are.
30:50in fact we' use SRI our Scholastic Reading inventory to engage student reading levels and adap our teach in for years had we been consulted we could have shared our success with programs like Lua and common lip ask the elimination of the SRI before last school year has left us without crucial literacy data and our numerous calls for its return last year went on Earth Achieve 3000 provides us with this initial data but it doesn't align with our curriculum making integration of the program difficult.
31:22moreover the training we received on the platform of 40 minutes in the middle of a regular school day during the crucial first weeks of school was insufficient and many of us were left scrambling to prepare we're also concerned about the data collection many seniors 75% of my current seniors now in fact are in College English courses or integrated Ela programs through go Tech meaning they may not participate and acheve 3000 fully skewing our literacy data.
31:58additionally we've lost numerous dedicated teachers in the past 2 years and need to emphasize how much an anomaly this is for Hudson we don't see turnover rates that many large city schools typically have which helps us Foster a community centered collaborative field for our school the teachers that we have lost were veterans who built vital relationships with our students they ran clubs they were class advisers who dedicated four years to helping a graduate cohorts of students planned Milestone events.
32:29they were teachers who kept safe spaces for students during lunches and free periods running reviews and getting students caught up where they needed to be teachers who took personal days to celebrate Ed with their students in their homes their departure is misattributed to accountability they were essential in creating and fostering the community our Lo their loss impacts our students deeply.
32:56if we continue with poorly coordinated initiatives we risk further destabilizing our classrooms in our school our students deserve continuity with teachers who understand and support them good education is truly a partnership one that our teachers are eager to take on when properly supported I urge everyone involved to prioritize thoughtful planning and collaboration with us going forward to build on our successes and ensure that all of our students can thrive in our school thank you thank you thank you for coming.
33:31[Applause]
33:33Lua Berlin hello I to be a constant munte the school but last meeting that we have when all of the charts up on the breakdown of students how well they were doing you know I took that very much to heart and I thought that reminded me of divide and conquer I thought when a student enters the school they entered as a student and in the volunteering that I did that was what I saw I saw all kinds of students together talking joking.
34:28I just wanted to make that comment I know you had to do it for the state and then the state has to do it for the Department education but I believe each school is its unique set of students and problems and those go beyond percentages that was my first thing I wanted to say.
34:51um my second is that you know when we come up here as parent as a citizen don't you think that at some time that topic should be brought up uh and say this is what you know we discussed because I think we feel in the dark I remember uh the fellow that was the head of the basketball he came and said about a trip he wanted to make to uh Basketball Hall of Fame and get the buses and the school to support the hotel uh trip and the food.
35:30I thought that was such a great idea to lift a student up we never heard anything about that after that time the same thing like uh two weeks ago a lady who made the presentation about the drama club you our gr was put in but was sitting on someone's desk you know um you shouldn't really have us nothing is going to be addressed at some point.
36:00and my last point I'll make that quick we I don't know your name but you're wearing a blue Dr pressy Dr so you remember you talking about the um St events in the Box the Saturday stem program yes so and I think you had mentioned that those were going to be a virtual programs right virtual teachers and we will also have teachers circulating the room also yes.
36:39so you know I believe first one had to do with farming had to do with farming I'll be put you know this area the Hudson Valley this is a very unique area from the moment we put that seed into the ground that scene is going to be served on a plate to someone in a restaurant and I thought there were so many farmers in this area that would love to share their time their knowledge and that we really we didn't need this concept because it's already here.
37:20like when I sat next to this fellow I said God must have put me next to him because I was saying too you know a child needs to know how to put a bucket on yes needs to know how to fix his backpack needs to know how to build a simple shelf that is better than a high Mark makes them feel like a full developed person and you know we need to bring back hopics know you learned math you learned so many things when you you were measuring to make a cake you were measuring to make the measurement on a shelf.
38:03I think we need to reconsider a lot of things that we're doing because I think students would do much better get to use their hands and I don't even finded I mean productive work thank you thank you.
38:22[Music]
38:24m the the basketball team did receive
38:27approval for their trip it was on one of our agendas and I believe the theater program got their letter of support for their Grant thank you for thank you for your comments Walker.
38:59good evening good evening I'm Malachi Walker U I'm back again simply because I see the urgent need for us to be proactive and not getting caught in the quick saying of life so to speak you our babies are in trouble and they need us like never before as a a collaborative unit it can no longer be us against them or them against us it has to be all of us against the failure of our kids' future so to the individual on social media just put this out there passing around that uncalled for petition to have our superintendent remove speak now forever hold your peace.
39:54because from this time forth we're moving and that direction that Dr prey put in display uh being proactive and at last being uh you know no more personal insults no more finger pointing this is a new day how can we contribute to helping our kids do better I want to sort of to look within ourselves are we giving our children a full chance to prosper am I set in my ways but can I be honestly willing to make the necessary adjustments Within Myself for our kids to grow am I approachable can I approach somebody can I humble myself for the sake of making the future of our school district successful we get enough outside criticism and and disrespect uh you know we we can't sabotage ourselves.
40:51they are waiting for our complete downfall our kids are listening our kids are watching so it is it's imperative that we be the example uh they need uh we're concerned parents we're concerned teachers we're concerned Administration we're concerned Community a genuine love has to become the foundation but not just for the kids we have to start with a genuine love for each other and let our kids acknowledge our relationships our growth toward each other for their purpose and if we don't have it let's be bold enough to work on it you know we always tell the kids that right you know be bold enough to to work on be bold enough to step out and to do things our kids need us we're on the front line we're ready Ro ain't got thank you.
41:48thank you Mr Walk Tracy was that Ste Gram.
42:03hi boo people in the audience um I'm here today as a parent um and a former student of Hudson City School District and um similar to Mr Malachi I heard about and saw a very Petty petition on Facebook about our superintendent and even disparaging remarks about Administration in general and I just want to say that every person here here I'll let Mr DF and take the mic off every person here is credentialed is certified is capable to be sitting in these seats that are paid by the HUD City School District the only people that are not paid are the school board members they come out of their personal time.
42:43um the kids aren't well it's not it's not something that we can hide anymore you've seen the graphs the bars you even hear the kids talk about it they know that some parents don't like the school they know that some kids don't like the school they know that sometimes they don't even like the school but they have to come New York state says they have to come unless you're willing to homeschool your children you they have to come.
43:07so they're in here with Mexican Bangladesh Jamaican Haitian white Italian all sorts of people melting together they don't have a choice they have to be here so they're here they're learning people are trying to teach them people are trying to put forth the most current and most valued things that they can for them to learn I think this board is doing that I think the administrators are doing that I think the secretaries are trying I think the teachers are trying the A's the Tas the subs the nurses the janitors everybody is trying but what who is not trying is the is the petty Mis AED misguided people who feel it's better to just disparage people who show up every day.
43:54um I'm not one of those people but I have gone into the muck to try to shed light and it's it's actually futile I won't do it anymore um but what I will do is I will come here and I will say without a doubt that I know that these people are here for the kids I know that they're not just here for a paycheck Columbia County teachers are the highest paid teachers in Columbia County the Hudson City school district teachers are but we have the most lowest test scores so what is the problem I don't know it can't be the kids right it's not always the fighting that's not all they do.
44:34my son brought home a pinch um uh the thing for the clothes line what is it called again clothes pin he made a clothes pin out of wood shout out to Mr pomier it wasn't a shelf he didn't dawn socks but he made a cloes pin and I added it to all the other close friends that all my other kids brought home before him and he's number six of seven so I know that the teachers are teaching our kids when they can but we do need to do better like Mr Malachi said we need to stop with the pettin stop with the if I was a person that didn't live in Hudson and I was looking at the Facebook page for this area I would never live here because all I'm thinking is everybody here is either been bullied got an ax to grind doesn't have anything better to do with their time and just doesn't know how to tear people down that is low vibration work try building people up that is the work that is what these people are doing here thank you.
45:34okay thank you okay now we have our superintendent report.
45:47[Music] [Music]
46:01good evening to our Dream Team board this is board appreciation month so we have our board and we really appreciate you and I'll say something else once I get through with the presentation.
46:21so um I'm going because I listen because I hear and I understand understand my purpose for being here and that I want to make sure that I'm serving all constituents to the best of my abilities so I was hearing that we needed to do something different or something more to make teachers feel more appreciated to make Staff feel more appreciated so I came up with superintendent Spotlight on Excellence so this will show appreciation for the
46:55District staff and faculty um and it'll be the superintendent Spotlight on excellence awards I created this so over the course of the next few the next school years as um as I walk through the school the conference room Etc I will use this award to recognize um those in the district who both excel in their duties and are dedicated to fostering an excellent School environment. So how will this work I'll walk around to the classroom throughout the building and and um if I see spotlights that are showing Excellence I will award this certificate and then I will come to the board meeting and during my superintendent report I will announce everyone who has receed the spotlights on excellence.
47:45And so this is one way that I am listening and um showing that I'm willing and know that we can do this together and so this is just one way that we will begin to do this. So as I said earlier this is School Board recognition the New York State School Board Association recognizes October 14th through 18 this year as school board recognition week. Our school board members devote their time unpaid time to represented the voices in the Hudson community and positive just positively contributing to our students quality of Education thank you thank you to our Hudson School District Board of Education.
48:50Thank you Miss Willet Jones Thank you to miss Mr Mark the pace thank you to miss gustavison thank you Miss grubler thank you Mr Lewis thank you Mrs Walker thank you Mr mackerer and then our students representative Thomas rinsky and our board clerk Tracy gaffy. Just want to thank everyone and again we have a token of appreciation it's a Little Dream Team box because you are our Dream Team and thank you for helping me to make sure that the dreams of our students come through thank you thank you Grand [Music] EXC one.
49:53Next yeah next Su my superintendent report is just a brief summary about the flying classroom um the stem uh workshops that will be happening on Saturday for our students the stem pilot program this is for Junior and Senior High students. So as you can see the program will begin um at under 26 and it'll last through June there's 100 there will be 180 minute modules in 16 sessions I believe um and so there's lots that have gone out about it to families and we're really hoping to get a large 56 students will be in the pilot and we're hoping to get a great turnout from our students we're really hoping that our Junior and Senior High students will sign up.
50:48This is great that's the world the real world life experience learning that you just mentioned this will happen there and so it's a great opportunity and this is a pilot year so we're hoping that if it goes really well we'll be able to extend it for more students on Saturdays next year.
51:09Harvest month October's Harvest month um as you can see there were apples and our beautiful students are just having a great time with the healthy eating and on Wednesday October 16th there was a variety of apples sourced from Sam Scott Orchid and Y Yonder fruit farm that our students were able to consume. And then um the students in M Schmid's High School food and nutrition class they honored Harvest of the month by um taste testing five different varieties of New York apples and then they also learned which ones were best for baking snacking sandwiches salads and applesauce and they also made Apple Piper sauce.
51:59Also one thing that wasn't on there is that we are thankful for the partnership with the New York um NY dental school so they have been coming to Hudson I since before the pandemic and then we missed a year or two after a year after or two after the pandemic. So when I came um Mr they would only go to the elementary school so I said to Mr bryman how can we expand this to the Junior and senior high school so we were able to do that this year and there were a few students from the junior high school I believe that were able to get the dental services. You know this is what it's about if you know we'll have to bring the community to the schools and it's it's a great partnership and um we just we're just really happy to be a part of that with the NYU dental clinic so thanks to Mr Brenan and his staff for just putting everything together that my superintendent report for tonight thank you [Music] you.
53:06Okay consisten genda everybody good I would like to make a motion to approve consistant G items a through L.
53:18Second all in favor.
53:22Okay public form greetings everyone my name is Janice beckles I used to sub here I miss it very much but there was a incident that happened that they had to let me go I don't know which one it was or whatever but I'm going to piggy back on what the gentleman said in my much these children the ABCs their one 123s they know how to put a box again they need to get out of that box and learn different things in a different manner.
54:09Now when I was here something they were bro bro bro bro I for me they wouldn't bro me but if you teach them what you will expect from them they will give it to you and he was talking about the reading scores and whatnot when I was doing detention I would like just read read anything you want to read we're not judging anybody everybody's going to read what they want to read and they enjoyed it because it was something that they brought to read or something they found on their phone. They read is to get them to engage in their learning not just throwing it at them because I felt that they were learning and like the kids that were graduating some of them didn't where they were going to do or what they were going to do.
54:57I was giving them applications I came to the principal to give them but I never got to see them I was on the street giving them out College isn't for everybody but we need some trade schools here so when they do graduate from here they can get in a detail like Plumbing Electronics Contracting so that they won't feel like they're going to spend the next ooh maybe 20 years in their parents' basement. If they feel like they can engage and do something what's up here what do you want to do we always tell them you can do whatever you want to do sometimes they don't know what they want to do so we have to filter out what they
55:36want to do and ask them to stick to it they might like it but let them know that they can do it and if that's not what they like they can go somewhere else like the fire department I was trying to get the kids go to the fire department now what I'm going to say is not to take the people out of Hudson cuz I love Hudson but learn the skill because it's a voluntary thing work there one or two years you can take it and go other places with it the same with the post office and the plumbing I've even asked people that I see that's doing these things would y'all give a class would y'all teach the these kids out here how to do it what to do it they might walk by and see it doing I would like to do that but they don't know how to approach it.
56:18there's a building over there that's been empty for a few years I think that would be the perfect place for it but again I spoke with some Human Resources people that I would like to get back into Hudson School sub Mona HS whatever thank you'all very much have a good night
56:38thank you everyone get home
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56:50safe I excuse me I I just signed up okay uh so I I think earlier I didn't say what I wanted to say as well as I wanted to say it um I'd kind of like to drop back to the data presentation that was that last meeting and I feel as though the students the high school students that I know um who I'm classifying as high achieving um feel as though there is a disconnect between where our school is is is focusing and where they might be projecting that they're focusing.
57:34um at the at the data presentation we saw numbers for AP classes and um they are definitely not the highest um it's important to note that those classes are optional and those classes happen when a student takes the initiative to sign up for that class and put them in that harder class which is kind of why I I classify that group of students as high achieving however the disconnect comes when there's a lack a lack of understanding or knowledge that comes from some of the people in administration and even some of the board members that we have you know these amazing college classes for dual credit there wasn't any sort of presentation on that.
58:17um there was also you know a disconnect when it came to the AP Calculus uh scores and they're being only two students in it when we don't actually offer the course um so it definitely feels like there's a disconnect and I feel like if it sorry it feels like that um were resources uh to be allocated you know more towards these high achieving students not leaving their AP classes in question and and making sure that they are a a one of the priorities of our district sends them a message that they have a chance.
59:06you know I talk to students around me I talk to some of my friends and frankly they set the bar for themselves really low that can come from test scores that can come from seeing people from you know high schools that are much more uh you know proactive about putting these these kids in in highly selective places but the higher achieving students can definitely feel left out and I'd also like to point out that higher achieving doesn't necessarily mean just in core subjects when it comes to creativity in our district we do really well.
59:56our music and our art are fantastic our drama has been consistent for a very long time sorry I'll be quick but there are specifics you know with scheduling and that's a a bigger topic but having it be having creativity and having art and having expression be a core pillar or a core principle of our district is is something I think we should really consider thank you thank
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1:00:48sure good evening um just two things really quick number one app Point Clarity the h and teachers are not the highest paid teachers in the county that would be kabad because they just settled and they are getting a lot of money so we are not the highest paying.
1:01:05and we have to stop judging on test scores because it was pointed out in the last board meeting only certain students take tests in through eight some students opt out and some of the students that opt out are our top students not the bottom ones so you need to keep that in mind when you're judging us on test scores and again it is also important to remember that these kids are more than a test score and the teachers in Hudson know that it's and right now we're moving in a Direction Where We want to do more testing more progress monitoring and it's just making the kids more visible so you need to keep that in mind too thank you
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1:02:01important dates November 5th 2024 regular Board of Education meeting 6:00 p.m. in the high school library November 19th 2024 policy committee meeting 5:00 p.m. in the high school library November 19th 2024 regular Board of Education meeting 6 p.m. in the high school library at this time we do have a need for second executive
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1:02:39right he resolved the Board of Education enters into executive session at 7:01 for the purpose of reviewing the employment history of particular person of persons there will be no further business after this thank you wait second oh all in favor okay excuse me all right all right thank you all for being
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Timestamps link to the corresponding moment on YouTube. Auto-transcribed, contains speech-recognition errors. Not an official record.