The proposed $58.1 million budget represents a $2,551,066, or 4.59%, increase over the 2024-25 budget of $55.6 million.
The tax levy will see a 3.55% increase, the maximum level the district is allowed for the 2025-26 school year. The tax levy represents an increase over the previous year's 2% tax cap, and $26.3 million is expected to be raised through taxes, an increase of $904,027 over the 2024-25 budget.
For a home in Hudson assessed at $200,000, the increased tax levy represents a $91.90 yearly increase in taxes, or $7.66 monthly increase.
It is highly unlikely there is any house in Hudson that is currently assessed at $200,000, so property owners in Hudson need to brace themselves for an increase in their school taxes of somewhat more than $91.90 a year.
Regarding possible cuts, the article has this to say:
[Executive Director of Business and Finance Christi Ferri] also said potential reductions to district general and instructional expenses could include the elimination of multiple positions in the district, including four teachers, three school psychologists, two reading teachers, a speech pathologist, and eight aides.
Just a reminder. There are three seats up for election on the HCSD Board of Education, and there is still time to get petitions signed. At least 100 signatures are needed to become a nominee. Petitions must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 30. Contact the District Clerk at districtclerk@hudsoncsd.org or call 518 828-4360, ext. 201, to request a petition.
COPYRIGHT 2025 CAROLE OSTERINK
Someone should run as a protest-candidate with the campaign promise of just live-blogging the whole thing, publishing every document, recording every meeting.
ReplyDelete- Force the school to publish SAT scores.
- Force the school to publish college admissions.
- Force the school to publish number of bullying incidents.
- Force the school to publish all their DEI materials and workshops.
What is the honorarium/payment for the role?
Do you have to be a citizen?
How many hours a month?
So far as I know there is no stipend or payment for serving on the BOE. Prospective nominees must have a primary residence in the Hudson City School District and be registered voters; the latter requirement eliminates noncitizens. The monthly meetings seem to go on forever, and there are also committee meetings. I have no idea how many hours that comes to in a month.
DeleteMaybe Peter Meyer or Tiffany Martin, who have actually served on the Board of Education, could provide a better answer to your question about time.
Carole, these are all pretty straightforward questions with straightforward answers. And you're right on all of them. You don't get paid for being on the board, but if you want to participate fully in the affairs of the Board -- i.e. the school district -- you can easily spend 20 hours a week on this stuff.... Remember, this is a $50million+ operation with a CEO (a superintendent) and several hundred staffers. If you've got a bad CEO, which is what we have now, you have to work harder. The good news, with three board openings up for grab this year, is that you could have allies (there are a total of 7 board members) on the board and make changes at any time. Because the current Supt.'s contract is up for renewal, a "new" board, come this July, could quickly change the direction of the district by hiring a new supt.. Bottom line: this is a hugely important vote in May. --peter meyer
DeleteIf anyone is interested, you will find many homes around the 200k assessment or less which are valued at way more that is because Hudson has not had an updated assessment in years.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.infotaxonline.com/FindProperty.aspx?23
You can easily search your street. My favorite is the assessment of the apartment building at 221-225 Allen Street, assessed 360k and the building is probably worth 1.5-1.8 million. The tax inequality in Hudson is insane.
I love paying triple what my neighbors pay, especially the ones with Architectural Digest ready homes assessed at $180,000.
DeleteGalvan, Eric T. Galloway, et al.
DeleteYes, 0.00 on the old Helsinki.
Union Jack, if you insist on making the HCSD budget a question of property assessments an issue, you miss the point: what do you know about education? If you've got a better idea about financing the education of our 1600 students in HCSD, tell us. But please take your complaints about taxes to the assessment authorities. With respect, --peter meyer
DeleteHello Peter. I would like to share with you my experience with the Hudson "assessment authorities". We purchased a home in 2023, three months later we receive a letter telling us our tax assessment had increased 140%. The city had actually used the Zillow estimate (80k higher than the sale price) and not the selling price to determine my tax burden. I do some research on the neighborhood and realize that our tax burden is higher than homes valued over 1 million dollars, our home was purchased for 600k. I decided to present my case to the grievance committee, with many examples of how the assessment was inflated compared to other properties. The committee seemed to be surprised that my assessment was higher than homes valued at over 1 million, including 100k higher than the apartment building at 221-225 Allen Street (6 apartments with rents of $2000+). I leave that meeting feeling I had made my point and that a reduction would be granted.
DeleteI receive a letter four weeks later and the committee had just reduced the value of my house to the selling price still leaving me with about 110%+ increase. I reach out to the accessor to ask for an explanation and she was extremely unhelpful and unprofessional. She could/would not give me an explanation on how they determined that number and at one point she actually sent me a photo of my home before renovation and a photo after the renovation with the message "Maybe this is why?"
I gave up with her because I was not getting anywhere. I hire a lawyer costing me $2000.00 and new house appraisal of $300.00 and a year later it looks like we are going to trail, because I will not be taken advantage of or discriminated againt because I am a new resident.
The point of mentioning assessments is because many residents are not paying a fair share and the mayor is doing nothing about it and why should he, he is a renter and not a property owner so it does not affect him. Could it be because he lives in a Galvan property and a city-wide assessment could cost one of Hudson's largest property a larger tax burden?
If everyone had a fair assessment, then maybe an increase would not be necessary? Maybe there would be more funds for the HCSD?
Dear Unlucky. The assessment system is a mess. From what you've described, the only next step (assuming the grievance committee gave an assessment decrease) is to sue. I have suggested many times that City have a fund to help folks like you hire an attorney. The bigger problem is that one person, no matter how "trained," can't divine the market value of a house--only the market can do that; i.e. what a willing buyer paid to a willing seller. California tried that in 1979, I believe.... Sorry, but that's all I got at the moment. --peter meyer
DeleteMaybe after the state takes over the city when it goes bankrupt it can then take over the school district for bankrupting tax payers failing students
ReplyDeleteWhat makes you think that a State takeover would fix things? --peter meyer
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DeleteI totally agree with reciveving info from the schhols - it s/b published. A lot of schools are glad to brag about matriculation and SAT scores so by not relasing it, it
ReplyDeletetells you all you need to know.
Believe it or not much of this information is available at the HCSD and State Ed websites. The bigger problem is that our current HCSD administration -- with Board of Education APPROVAL!!! -- is spending almost $100k to have a public relations firm spin the information to create "Pennyman's Pen," a self-serving newsletter to distract us from our kids' education accomplishments: reading and writing. We have a chance on May 20 to elect three new board members, hopefully, to stop the chicanery. --peter meyer
DeleteLEGAL EXTORTION ... nothing ever changes Hudson's inscrutability ...
ReplyDeleteLeonardo, it is (legal extortion) until it's not. It is (inscrutable) until it's not. The wonderfully refreshing event in all this public chicanery is a vote. In the school district we have the wonderfully uplifting improvement era ushered in by Maria Suttmeier, a local educator who brought her smarts and appreciation of our community to the task of school improvement. I like to take some credit for hiring Maria, as a member of the Board and repeat, we have that opportunity again by electing smart people for the board on May 20. Three is a huge number; 3 of 7 members of the board can make a huge difference for our kids' futures!!!
DeleteKeep hope alive. --peter meyer