Thoughts About HCSD and Its Proposed Budget
Several times in the past, at this time of year, Ken Sheffer, diligent watchdog of the Hudson City School District and its intractable budgets, has been moved to share his thoughts on the topic, and Gossips has published them. Again this year, the proposed $2.5 million increase in the HCSD budget has provoked Sheffer to speak out. His statement contains news--the first I have heard--of a $8.35 million capital project being proposed. According to the HCSD website, the capital project, which voters will be asked to approve on May 20, along with the $58.1 million budget for 2025-2026, will be discussed at a meeting to take place on Tuesday, April 29, at 5:00 p.m. in the High School Cafeteria.
Click here to read Sheffer's statement.
Where are all the Spark people, Kaya and Kite’s Nest, Kamal, Quintin Cross, Tom DePietro, Dorothy, Claire Cousins, Peter Frank, Verity from the City Dems, and the Youth Center brigade who recently unionized, and the half a dozen other not for profits in town focussed on youth?
ReplyDeleteHCSD’s budget keeps rising while enrollment drops and outcomes remain some of the worst in the state.**
Same families they claim to fight for in the City of Hudson—just younger and not eligible to vote in November. Total silence.
They show up for rent control drama and symbolic resolutions about foreign terrorism/war, raise their own salaries while living in Galvan housing, but say nothing while the school system fails thousands of local kids right next door.
Or am I wrong Kamal and there are protests planned, action plans published, and public letters published in IMBY (like there were by Caitie and Peter opposing Charter Reform)?
But hey, at least we painted “BLM” on Warren Street and elected a now mid 40s African African mayor from Westchester. We "did the work" guys. Well done. Let's go get a photo with Delgado.
🚨 Hudson's hypocrisy and waste of tax dollars is worthy of rigorous academic study.
** HCSD ranks near the bottom statewide in educational outcomes, with reading and math proficiency hovering below 25%. For a city with a per-student spend way above $30,000 annually, the results are scandalous.
The irony is the school district is the one thing preventing hyper gentrification in Hudson.
ReplyDeleteI think it just means we get the retired child-less gentrifiers since no parent would want to move here and subject their child to this school district.
DeleteTrue, but if motivated parents were also competing for real estate prices would really explode.
DeleteThere is a great movie with Hugh Jackman, "Bad Education" (2019), that is based on a true story of the biggest public school financial embezzlement in New York state history.
Delete"A central theme in Bad Education is the correlation between public school rankings and local property prices. The film illustrates how school administrators, parents, and community stakeholders are financially and socially incentivized to maintain the district's top-tier ranking. As long as the school is perceived as excellent—ranked #4 nationally at the time—home values in Roslyn rise, attracting affluent families and perpetuating demand."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_Education_(2019_film)
It is worth stating the obvious...
ReplyDeleteOf course there are individual teachers who are incredible (in effort and talent), of course there are individual students who are incredible (in effort and talent), and we have met many of them... amazing HCSD alumni are everywhere, some on the ballot this November (obvi not Kamal), of course different periods in the school history produced different cultures...
And no one is arguing that any individual ought to be treated or judged based purely on whether they attended HCSD.
The point, I think, of hundreds of commenters here and on social media elsewhere, and in dozens of PTA meetings... is that the school is failing.
More money creates more problems.
And when a school fails, and fails for so long... the direct and collateral damage is so much greater.
Lot's of blaming towards the school system and the city govt., but there certainly is more to it than that. Insulting and pointing blame at Kaya, Quintin and others who have been dedicated to improving conditions for Hudson's low income residents is counterproductive and not really helpful. There is a direct correlation between poverty rates, school performance and graduation rates. People need help, let's not criticize those providing it.
ReplyDeleteDear Slow Art -
ReplyDeleteAn incompetent surgeon with good intentions still kills the patient.
Motive does not absolve consequence.
As with most topics on this blog there is a great book written about it, see William Easterly's "The White Man's Burden". Summary below**
The issue with folks like Kaya and Quintin Cross is that not only have their remedies, however well intentioned, mostly failed…. but they:
A) lobby the city towards unwise policies
B) criticize other residents just minding their own business, or for the thought crime of wanting a balanced City budget and reasonable taxes.
Kaya "others" communities that are not of her making... (see Public Meeting last week when she said no one lives on Union St) and Quintin calls any criticism of Kamal/Tom/government racist, somehow not realizing that Tom is, by Critical Race Theory, part of the "oppressor" group, and Hudson is more diverse, by the numbers, than America.
Hudson and its school district is spending more than $80m per year and we do not have the City infrastructure/leadership, or the academic results to show for it.
Criticizing individuals who ran for office and served, or who run public interest organizations or 501(c)3s that act politically, is not counterproductive.
By that logic all the Hudsonians who protest the current national President/administration every weekend is being "counterproductive and not really helpful". And I make that point not passing judgement for or against non-Hudson political groups. Hmmmm... maybe you do have a point ;-)
**
In William Easterly’s The White Man’s Burden (2006), which contrasts “Planners” (top-down do-gooders) with “Searchers” (pragmatic problem-solvers). It excoriates development agencies and Western NGOs for well-funded but disastrous interventions in Africa, where moral fervour substituted for accountability. The book shows the principle: good intentions without feedback loops often amplify harm.
Hudson has no real feedback loop... until this November.
Also - Hudson and its NGOs (501c3s) reminds me of Africa and its NGO / not-for-profits.