Dear Hudson Falls School Community,
This school year has been an incredibly challenging year filled with fiscal uncertainty, evolving COVID regulations, hybrid instruction models and school pauses. Despite these barriers, our teachers, administrators, and staff have navigated these uncharted waters to deliver instruction to our students in a way that has maximized their safety and well-being. Although there have been bumps in the road, the Board of Education is proud of the work that Hudson Falls School District has accomplished in this most challenging of years.
As we look towards finishing the 2020-2021 school year on a strong note, we are excited to build upon our current momentum and have quite a bit to be excited about for the upcoming school year. First is the arrival of our new Superintendent of Schools, Dan Ward. Mr. Ward brings with him years of experience as a superintendent from our neighboring district, Fort Edward. The Board of Education is excited for Mr. Ward to be joining our team and look forward to our teachers, staff, and community getting to know him.
Additionally, the Board has been working with the Administrative team and partners at New York State School Boards Association to strategically plan for the future to position the district for continued improvement.
Lastly, our capital project is already underway. Our partners at March Associates have been on-site doing field studies and partnering with our district team to design and plan new secure entrances in all school buildings as well as enhancements to our High School Library and Auditorium.
We are also excited to announce our budget for the upcoming school year. Our team is continually focused on providing the best possible education for the students of Hudson Falls while remaining fiscally responsible to our taxpayers. We were able to prepare a budget that has no additional tax levy increase over last year. Our proposed budget is student-centered, fiscally sound and enhances the sustainability of our district for the future. In the budget we are also proposing adding several additional positions that will continue to enhance student learning. We are able to accomplish this through calculated fiscal planning at the district level and enhanced aid from New York State. We are thrilled that we are able to present this budget to you for your consideration of approval. We have a complete explanation of the entire budget process, as well as a breakdown of this year’s numbers, on our Budget and Finance page.
We hope that you will exercise your right to vote and that we will see you at the polls on May 18 from noon to 8 p.m. in the High School Gymnasium. You do not need to be a registered voter to vote, but you do need to be a resident of the Hudson Falls School District. Thank you for your continued support and for helping to make the Hudson Falls school community great!
Go Tigers!
Ben Bishop
Board of Education President