HUDSON — Superintendent Brian Reagan said during the Sept. 5 School Committee meeting that the Hudson Public Schools had a “very strong opening” Aug. 30.
There was a lot of positive engagement among the staff and connection with the students, he said. The goal was to make the classroom a place that was safe and predictable for students and celebrated the diversity of the community, according to Reagan.
“They’re creating spaces in the classroom where kids can look around and see themselves reflected in some way,” he said.
He added that it was great to welcome staff and students back and be back in the district.
In terms of hiring positions in the district, he said, “We’re in fairly good shape.”
The district is also working hard to fill key positions. A wellness teacher resigned from the Hudson High School in late August, he noted. An opening for the role has been posted.
There are also vacancies for Spanish and Portuguese liaisons and 10 paraeducators at the high school, Quinn Middle School, Farley Elementary School, Forest Avenue Elementary and Mulready Elementary School.
Of the liaisons, he said, “We have some candidates that are close. We don’t have anybody signed yet.”
The district is trying different things to fill the paraeducators positions, such as advertising at school open houses. He said the positions have “parent-friendly hours.”
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Reagan has continued to meet with community members including Director of the Hudson Public Library Aileen Sanchez-Himes and Director of Public Works Eric Ryder on Aug. 24 and Director of Public Health Lauren Antonelli on Sept. 5.
He added that he “had a great meeting with our director of public works.” Ryder kept them updated on the work being done on Brigham Street and made sure there was safe passage for the students.
“He has been really communicative about some road closure issues and been very helpful with that,” Reagan said.
Enrollment at Hudson schools
Reagan reported on the enrollment numbers, which were shown in a quick visual on what grades were over and under the projected enrollment.
At the district level, there were just 17 more students projected than enrolled.
He said the differences between projected and actual enrollment were negligible in the elementary schools and the same in the middle and high schools.
He said, “We’re really talking about just a couple students.”
There were no areas where they should be overly concerned, he noted.
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From kindergarten to grade 12, the projected enrollment was 2,282 versus the actual enrollment of 2,265, with the combined elementary schools of Farley, Forest and Mulready schools showed a difference of 22 students.
The students from Hudson who are enrolled at Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School and Advanced Math and Science Academy Charter School totaled 402. There are 196 students at AMSA in grades 6 through 12 and 206 at Assabet in grades 9 through 12.
He asked if there was any information the School Committee would like to see in his reports going forward. Member Mark Terra-Salomão noted that he would like to see a comparison against the enrollment numbers last year.
He added, “I think that’s always helpful.”
The School Committee also approved the High Quality Instructional Materials Grant from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education for $71,000 and the contract with Delfield Food Servicing Stations for the Hudson High School kitchen in the amount of $43,397.
