At a glance
The Hudson City School District Board of Education met on May 19, 2026, combining its monthly meeting with the annual budget vote and board election. District voters approved a $59.17 million budget for 2026-2027 (861 yes, 485 no) and elected two new board members: Lou Zapp and Michael Isabella. The board reviewed a challenging school calendar for the coming year, compressed by a post-Labor Day start and the addition of new state-recognized holidays. Committees reported progress on the code of conduct rewrite, facilities work including the energy performance contract and capital project, and policy updates. The board set a schedule for superintendent candidate interviews on May 26.
Budget vote and board election results
District voters approved the 2026-2027 budget and elected two new board members. The meeting was suspended while poll workers tallied results from three locations.
Key points
- Budget passed 861 yes to 485 no, total spending $59,171,704
- Lou Zapp and Michael Isabella elected to the board; Zapp sworn in immediately
- Zapp received the most votes and assumed the seat previously held by appointed member Mike Sibella
- Isabella will be sworn in prior to the July reorganization meeting
- Polling locations ran out of exit survey ballots on the tennis court and pickleball question, but new ballots were delivered
- Dr. Bailey and central staff collected signed tally sheets and absentee ballot counts from each location for final tabulation
Lou Zapp's seat is effective immediately. Michael Isabella joins in July. The board will hold its reorganization meeting on July 7, 2026.
Student representative report
Jordan Francis, assistant secretary of the student council, reported on recent and upcoming events at the high school.
Key points
- AP exam season ended; most of 10 exams taken were studied independently
- Multicultural Club hosted a festival with food, activities, and a soccer World Cup tournament
- Environmental Club visited Boston Aquarium and went whale watching
- Student Council hosting free outdoor movie night Thursday, May 21 (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse)
- Class officer elections begin Tuesday, May 26
- Senior prom set for June 6 at the Falls
- Class of 2027 golf tournament planned for August 17 ($100 per player, $400 per team)
Board excellence awards
Three board members received recognition from the New York State School Boards Association for completing professional development and training.
Key points
- Diana Howard earned Level 1 Board Achievement
- Matthew Maccher earned Level 2 Board Excellence Award
- Mark Pace earned Level 3 Board Excellence Award
- Awards recognize board members who expand governance knowledge through NYSBA training, workshops, and events
Facilities committee report
The facilities committee met Monday and reviewed personnel changes, energy performance contract progress, capital project status, and community engagement on outdoor classroom planning.
Key points
- Two positions being posted soon, including one due to internal promotion
- Energy performance contract received final NYSED approval; high school boiler room demolition starts in June
- Perimeter fences will go up and come down at various locations over the summer as projects progress
- Capital project had architectural and mechanical approvals, awaiting additional sign-offs; bids for construction manager open this month
- MC Smith freezer project received SED approval
- Grant-funded greenhouse received SED approval after change orders to address new legal requirements
- Two community members joined the facilities committee: Chris Christie Askin and Hannah Black
- Discussion of MC Smith outdoor classroom proposal continues
Facilities committee will meet every 2 to 3 weeks during construction, including virtually, to track progress and review change orders.
Policy committee and code of conduct update
Both the policy committee and code of conduct subcommittee met last week. The code of conduct is nearing a first draft, and policy work focused on staff complaints and whistleblower protections.
Key points
- Code of conduct first draft expected by early next week, will go to broader staff for input
- Goal is a September start for the new code of conduct
- Discussion centered on implementation: what shifts in staffing, training, and resources are needed to make the code work in practice
- Policy committee continuing NYSBA updates, with focus on two related policies: disclosure of wrongful conduct and staff complaints and grievances
- Committee had a conversation about rebuilding relational trust so staff feel safe raising concerns
- Policies will come to the full board for first read at the next meeting
Both committees emphasized that policies and codes only work if there is real follow-through on training, staffing, and culture change.
Public comment on recent threat-response email
Lauren Jones, a parent of two students, raised concerns about a May 15 email from the superintendent addressing threatening behavior among students.
Key points
- Jones said the email was at least the second of its kind addressing a rise in threatening behavior
- She said the email emphasized accountability and consequences (police, district attorney intervention) but offered no mention of the school's responsibility to support students through conflict
- Jones expressed concern that the email threatened adult-size consequences for the district's youngest learners, with no accompanying message of nurturing students through mistakes
- She asked whether Hudson students are being supported through conflict or just threatened with consequences
The board did not respond to the comment during the meeting. State and federal privacy laws prevent public discussion of specific personnel or student matters.
Superintendent's report: outdoor classroom and community partnerships
Dr. Bailey thanked the student council for hosting the board candidate forum and reported on progress toward creating outdoor learning spaces at MC Smith Elementary.
Key points
- Parents for Healthy Hudson made significant progress on outdoor classroom proposal, joining facilities committee and holding community meetings with district staff
- Tentative designs include classroom space, raised bed gardens, and possibly an amphitheater
- Assemblywoman Barrett's office arranged for Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie to tour MC Smith in early June to view the proposed site and explore funding options
- District will publicize the visit on social media once confirmed
- Social media post showcasing Hudson High School college acceptances will be made more prominent and permanent
- Record number of National Honor Society inductees this year
The outdoor classroom project is a community-driven effort involving volunteers, district facilities staff, and potentially state funding through the Assembly Speaker's office.
Superintendent search update
The board is in the final stage of the superintendent search, with semi-finalist interviews scheduled for May 26.
Key points
- A 15-member interview committee of staff and community members completed training with Dr. Corita Adams
- Committee will conduct semi-finalist interviews on Tuesday, May 26, starting at 3:30 PM
- Four semi-finalists will present and answer questions
- Board will conduct its own semi-finalist interviews the same evening, starting at 7:00 PM
- Each candidate will give a presentation to the board
- Committee will score candidates on a rubric; board will receive all feedback
- Board hopes to make an offer to a candidate after the May 26 interviews
2026-2027 school calendar: a compressed year
Dr. Bailey presented a draft school calendar for 2026-2027, calling it the least worst option given a post-Labor Day start, new state holidays, and the district's 182-day requirement.
Key points
- School starts September 8, 2026 (the day after Labor Day), ends June 25, 2027
- District has 182 instructional days (includes three superintendent conference days), compared to the state minimum of 180
- New York State now recognizes holidays that did not exist or were not observed in 2021, the last time the calendar was this compressed (including Juneteenth)
- Calendar aligned with Questar to avoid conflicts for the 70 students in CTE programs
- No day off before Thanksgiving; Memorial Day weekend is just Memorial Day
- March-April break mostly in March; to avoid breaking up the week, students will not return Thursday of April break week, but staff will have a superintendent conference day that Friday
- Superintendent conference day scheduled on Eid (March 10) so students observing the holiday will not miss instruction
- If three emergency closure days remain in May, the district will give three long weekends instead of a continuous stretch, based on last year's attendance drop after Memorial Day weekend
The 182-day requirement, post-Labor Day start, and alignment with Questar limited options. Board members raised concerns about staff development on Eid and low attendance on the Friday before April break. Dr. Bailey said these were the least worst solutions available.
The district's 182-day instructional requirement is contractual and differs from most other districts, which have 180 days. Changing the post-Labor Day start would require renegotiating that understanding with staff.
2026-2027 board meeting calendar
Dr. Bailey presented a draft board meeting calendar aligned with the school calendar, with two meetings in July and August and monthly meetings thereafter, ramping up in the budget season.
Key points
- Two meetings in July (including July 7 reorganization meeting), two in August to handle summer hiring
- Monthly meetings September through February
- Budget season begins January 19, 2027, with workshops in February and March and regular meetings each month
- Budget hearing May 4, budget adoption April 20 (with May 20 deadline)
- Single meeting in June
- Board can add special meetings or workshops as needed; this is a framework, not final
- Plan to celebrate retirees at the June meeting and tenure recipients at the September meeting
- Board members suggested stacking a short business meeting and a longer workshop meeting each month in July and August
Both calendars will be on the agenda for approval at the June 16 meeting, along with a resolution to establish July 7 as an official meeting date.
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.