Addressing District Facility Needs at
HUDSON HIGH SCHOOL
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the facility needs at Hudson High School?
While Hudson High School is a big point of pride in our community, the school building has a series of facility needs that we must address soon. These include the following:
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Aging Building Systems & Finishes: While the high school has been well maintained, the fact that it is 24 years old means that some systems and finishes have exceeded their service life. This includes windows, plumbing, lighting, flooring, cabinetry, and heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems.
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Safety & Security: The safety of our students and staff are a top priority. The high school entrance needs to be redesigned to better welcome and monitor visitors. There is also a need to improve parking and traffic flow around the building.
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Support Space Needs: The high school’s library is not designed to meet students’ current learning needs, which means the space is underutilized. There is also a need for additional gym space to better serve students and the community.
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Enrollment Growth: Since 2016 the district has seen a steady increase in enrollment. Projections for the next five years indicate continued growth, as new housing developments are likely to bring additional families with school-age children to the district. As enrollment increases, additional classrooms and the expansion of educational support areas (e.g., cafeteria, gym) are needed.
By acting now, we believe we can address these needs that will ensure we continue to provide excellent learning environments for students now and in the years to come.
What is the proposed solution to address these needs?
The Board of Education has placed a bond issue question on the ballot for September 13, 2022. If the question receives at least 60 percent approval, the district will move forward with the following facility projects at Hudson High School:
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Update building systems and aging infrastructure, including the replacement of an HVAC system that is no longer cost- effective to maintain
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Convert underutilized space into innovative classrooms
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Create a secure main entrance to improve safety
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Rebuild the career and technical education labs (shop)
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Add needed gym space
How has the community been engaged on these issues?
Over the past several months, our Hudson CSD Community Task Force has been engaged in a comprehensive facility planning process. A community-wide survey that was open in April and May 2022 provided the district and task force with valuable input and feedback as they examined facility needs and explored potential solutions.
At its June 14 meeting, the Board of Education received a petition from the community, asking the board to place a bond issue question to address the high school facility needs. The board then voted to approve a question for the ballot on September 13, 2022.
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Are the high school's needs related to open enrollment?
No. Our high school would have facility needs, even if we had fewer or no open-enrolled students. All of the projects the task force recommended would need to be addressed, no matter our total enrollment.
This is a fair question. Some community members may be concerned that Hudson's property taxpayers will be paying for a project that would benefit some students who do not live in the district. For context, in the 2021-22 school year, approximately 18% of our students were open enrolled, while 82% were resident students.
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Imagine an airplane. It doesn’t matter if the plane is completely full or half full—it still needs to be in a condition in which it can get from point A to point B. The same is true for our schools. They need to be in a condition conducive to student learning, no matter how many students are in each classroom.
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Will community members get to vote on the proposed solution to the high school facilities needs?
Yes. The Hudson Board of Education has approved a bond issue question that will appear on the ballot Tuesday, September 13, 2022.
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How would an approved bond affect property taxes?
An approved bond would have a property tax impact of $2.70 on every $1,000 of assessed property value. The owner of a home with an assessed value of $100,000 would see a tax impact of $​​133.06 per year (or $11.09 per month). The impact on 100 acres of agricultural land would be $358.93 per year (or $29.91 per month).
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To find the assessed value of your property, visit https://bit.ly/taxableValues_hudsonCSD.
The district and board remain very sensitive to the need to keep costs as low as possible and to respect the needs of our local property taxpayers. However, we are at a point at which we cannot delay addressing our high school facility needs any longer.
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See how the property tax impact is calculated by downloading this fact sheet.
*Actual 1/1/2021 average assessed value of 1 acre of ag. Land in Black Hawk County was $1,486.
**The taxable value of residential property is approximately 54% of the assessed value.
How much revenue would an approved bond generate for the district?
If approved, the bond would provide the Hudson Community School District with $11.65 million in additional revenue to address a series of facility needs at Hudson High School.
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What are the other items on the ballot September 13?
In addition to the bond issue, residents will also vote on a Physical Plant & Equipment Levy (PPEL) and a Revenue Purpose Statement on September 13.
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A PPEL is a voter-approved levy that generates funds a school district can use only for infrastructure and equipment repairs, purchases, and improvements. If renewed, the PPEL would maintain a maximum property tax rate impact of $1.34/year on every $1,000 of taxable property value. To emphasize, this is not a new proposal but merely a continuation of a current levy the district has had in place for decades.
​​Secure an Advanced Vision for Education (SAVE)—also known as the statewide one-cent sales tax for education—allows Iowa school districts to ask voters to approve a Revenue Purpose Statement to continue investing sales tax funds in school infrastructure projects. Approving the statement would have no impact on local property taxes, nor would it affect the sales tax.
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When is election day?
The bond question will appear on a special election ballot Tuesday, September 13, 2022. This is a special school election date, as authorized by the Iowa Secretary of State.
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Where can I vote on September 13?
Residents may cast their ballots at Hudson Community Center (525 Jefferson St.) on Tuesday, September 13. The hours are 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
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What if I cannot vote on election day?
The district will host a satellite voting opportunity on Friday, September 2, from 3:00 to 9:00 p.m. in the Hudson School Competition Gym. All registered voters may cast their ballot at this event, as an alternative to voting on election day.
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