To Whom It May Concern,
I hope that this letter finds you well. My name is Heidi Andrejkovics and I am a member of the Hudson Falls Central School District Board of Education. One of my roles as a member of the Board of Education is to chair our Advocacy Committee. I wanted to reach out to introduce myself and highlight some of the features that make us unique at Hudson Falls Central School District.
Prior to the pandemic, our school was faced with unique needs and a complex student body. That has not changed, but the pandemic has changed so much. Here in Hudson Falls, our combined wealth ratio is 0.55. Whether you come from a “glass half full” or a “glass half empty” philosophical standpoint, that either makes our district “half as rich” or “twice as poor” as the average district in New York State. Between 45-50% of our students would qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. To counter this, we participate in the Community Eligibility Provision so that we are able to offer free breakfast and lunch to all of our students all year round. Capitalizing on the potential impact of classwork and extracurricular is so much more successful when children are fed. Coupled with our population density, this data categorizes the Hudson Falls Central School District as a “Rural/High Needs” district. As a result, we rely on state aid each year in order to make up greater than 70% of our school budget. Hudson Falls Central School District is highly dedicated to providing an equitable, enriching, appropriate education to all of our students, regardless of the circumstances that they go home to.
Like so many other high needs situations, our students need a little more support to be successful, but I can say with confidence that they can be successful and here at Hudson Falls, we are committed to providing that support. One of the many supports that we provide in order to support an equitable educational experience is our free Universal Pre-Kindergarten program. Our UPK grant affords us the opportunity to run six half-day sessions for our community. Prior to COVID, we could staff an additional classroom (two extra half-day sessions), thereby offering Pre-K to any family that wanted it. This year, we are only running what the grant provides.
Hudson Falls Central School District began in-person and virtual learning this week. It has been good, hard, meaningful work getting our campus, staff, and families ready for the different teaching and learning that will take place this year. We look forward to doing good, hard, meaningful work with you to continue to provide the quality, equity, and success that a public education promises to all of our students. We would like to extend an invitation to join us for a Board of Education meeting and/or to tour our district. As this year promises to be one of the most interesting school years on record, we are ready and excited to begin working with you to make it great for all of our students!
Sincerely,
Heidi Andrejkovics Advocacy/PR Committee Chair
Hudson Falls Central School District Board of Education,
And on behalf of the Advocacy/PR Committee of the Hudson Falls Central School District Board of Education