The Hudson School District Board spent the bulk of a special work session on Tuesday reviewing long-term school planning, including the prospect of closing one or more elementary schools to address a projected budget shortfall linked to declining enrollment.

Administrators and trustees framed the discussion as part information-sharing, part listening session: they described demographic studies, reviewed the district’s official “third Friday” enrollment count and spelled out a public process for boundary setting and community input if closures move forward.

Key enrollment and budget figures

District staff reported the district’s official third-Friday enrollment count — the snapshot the state uses for aid calculations — showed a net decline of 147 students compared with last year. That shortfall was substantially larger than the 50-student decline the district had built into budget projections earlier in the year. “We were anticipating being down about 50 students across the district when we were building our budget projections,” Nick (administration) said; “based on this third Friday count, it looks like we are going to be down 147 students this year.”

Administrators stressed that state funding formulas and special-education costs factor heavily into the district’s projections. They said state aid has not kept pace with rising costs and that special-education reimbursement remains a major pressure point: the district relies on a mix of federal, state and local funding and has absorbed significant special-education costs in recent years.

Demography, projections and the district’s options

Trustees described ongoing work with demographers (MGT Consulting) and noted that past projection models have repeatedly overestimated future enrollment. Nick said the district will commission updated 10-year projections to support boundary decisions. “Even with those data points, we’ve underperformed their most conservative models,” Nick said, adding outside demographers and decennial census trends show declining birth rates and an aging local population in the district’s attendance area. Board members and administrators repeatedly emphasized that the district has lost ground in forward-looking enrollment projections and that housing growth in the area has not produced the elementary enrollment the district needs.

Timeline and process

Administrators outlined a multi-step public process if the board decides to close one or more schools: a demographic update, consultant work to produce boundary scenarios, community engagement nights and surveys, consultant refinements and a board decision. The district targets elementary boundaries that last roughly eight to ten years, and staff said they will convene multiple community sessions and gather public input before bringing any boundary plan to the board.

Transportation and special-education impacts

Administrators told the board they do not expect dramatic long-term increases in transportation costs because the percentage of students eligible for transportation varies by school and the district will design efficient routes once boundaries are known. They provided building-by-building eligibility percentages (for example Holton ~98% eligible; North Hudson ~56%; EP Rock ~66%). Staff said bus-route software (Traversa) will be used to model routes once boundaries are set.

Special-education leaders and trustees emphasized continuity of services for students with IEPs. The district said services would continue at the same levels required by students’ IEPs regardless of building assignments, and administrators committed to hiring and staffing adjustments, IEP-team meetings, and individualized transition planning for affected students.

Community reaction and board members’ statements

More than a dozen community members and several trustees expressed strong emotions during the discussion. Board members described a split in public comments between emotional appeals to keep neighborhood schools and fiscal arguments to reconfigure the district to match enrollment and funding realities.

Trustees made several points for public consideration: closing decisions are districtwide (a reboundering effort can affect multiple schools), repurposing or selling buildings would generate one-time revenue but not recurring operating funds, and foundations or private fundraising are unlikely to solve structural, recurring budget gaps. Several board members urged residents to understand the difference between one-time capital revenue and recurring operational dollars.

Alternatives and next steps discussed

Board members and staff discussed alternatives that would reduce district expenditures without closure, including further operational cuts and staffing adjustments. Several trustees stressed that the community needs a clear timeline: if the board decides to close a school for the 2026–27 school year, substantial redistricting and staffing work must occur during the coming months.

Administrators said they will publish additional demographic information, run boundary scenarios with consultants, schedule community engagement sessions and return with refined proposals. They also pledged to prioritize careful transition planning for special-education students, to map transportation impacts after boundaries are drafted, and to provide regular updates to the public.

Ending

Board president and trustees thanked the community for contributions to the discussion and urged continued participation as the district proceeds through the planned engagement and analysis steps before any final board decision.