Hudson’s Schools Charting New Success Through Innovation and Collaboration
By Dr. Juliette Pennyman
As summer’s warmth fades, we enter a season of reflection and gratitude. This transition compels me to evaluate the Hudson City School District’s progress in partnership with teachers, staff, students and the community since I joined the District in summer 2023.
Most recently, our Board of Education welcomed new members and refocused efforts on formulating a strategic plan for the District’s future. Elsewhere, the 2024-2025 school year launched wonderfully, fueled by our tireless teachers’ and staff’s superb work and unending care. As I’ve visited schools this fall, I’ve heard from many of you, sharing gratitude for the resources and support District leadership and the Board prioritize for our classrooms.
It’s clear that a tremendous foundation for advanced success is in place – and building upon that is Job 1 every day.
Soon after joining Hudson, and after intense community collaboration, I introduced six student-centered Key Areas of School Improvement:
- Strengthening the instructional core.
- Enhancing leadership capacity.
- Implementing data-driven practices.
- Adopting a tiered approach to school support and intervention.
- Fostering a positive and inclusive school culture.
- Increasing our monitoring and accountability efforts.
These pathways, coupled with data analysis, show our district can and must attain further academic success. In a fast-moving competitive world, it is vital for the District to ramp up opportunities to optimally equip every student for college, career and life. Our successes include:
- Modernizing our technology/curriculum infrastructure to provide deeper analysis of data on student performance through insights, intervention and success models.
- Solidifying District infrastructure through teacher, technology and instructional hires – while not adding administrative positions.
- Securing more than $3 million in grants supplement pre-kindergarten, curriculum, agricultural education, the My Brother’s Keeper program and students’ digital capabilities, all while easing taxpayers’ burden.
- Relaunching Bluehawk Academy to focus on personal support to achieve educational excellence.
- Refreshing the student Code of Conduct and diversity, equity and inclusion principles to ensure welcoming educational environments.
- Reinstating clubs and organizations such as Student Council and the Parent Teachers’ Association at Hudson Junior High School.
- Expanding health and safety through leading-edge technology that in part earned Utica National Insurance’s School Safety Excellence award.
- Converting the high school football program to a modified version to ensure the program’s future.
- Revamping the dated junior senior high school cafeteria into a modern, comfortable café.
- Expanding communications via newsletters focused on classroom innovation and success, community Conversations With the Superintendent meetings, new student-advisory committees and frequently attending community events.
I recently was reminded of kindness’ profound power to reset trajectories, particularly when patience is tested. A personal story: My third-grade teacher, Mrs. Love, invested time to believe in me when others wouldn’t. She opened doors of opportunity and instilled in me that I could walk through. That lesson powers me – that every child of every background deserves access to success.
I believe our valued and resilient teachers, community members and Board share that belief and are devoutly focused on building Hudson’s capacity to ensure our strategic plan’s success. Focus groups’ feedback is clear: Hudson deeply respects its teachers and staff – and we embrace the overriding crucial goal of students’ academic growth.
Remarkable wins occur daily in our schools. Teachers elevate our schools and transform hope into student accomplishment. Indeed, collaborative change is more than an aspiration — it’s happening.
I am grateful to be with you on this journey. In Hudson #TogetherWeCan — because students deserve nothing less every day.
Dr. Juliette Pennyman is Superintendent of the Hudson City School District. Visit HudsonCSD.org.