Hudson Board of Education Hears Presentation on Preparing Students for Careers

The Hudson School District Board of Education met last night, hearing a presentation on the district's plan to prepare students for a post-secondary education.

The presentation was given by Sandi Kovatch, the district's Learning Services director, and Melisa Hansen, Hudson High School's School to Work coordinator.

According to the data provided in the presentation, by 2018, 63 percent of all American job openings will require some sort of post-secondary education.

The presentation emphasized that community colleges and technical school degrees can sometimes better prepare students for careers than typical four-year colleges, especially in the areas of manufacturing and health care.

"A four year isn't the only way to go and find some successful option for our students, we really need to broaden that so that our students have more opportunities available to them in the future," Kovatch said.

The report also provided information on some of the largest industries expecting growth, including health care, which includes seven of the 20 fastest-growing occupations, according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics.

Hansen also pointed out that renewable energy is another growing industry, "which could generate up to $4.3 trillion in revenue, and create more than 37 million jobs, or more than 17 percent of the anticipated U.S. employment by 2030."

Both Hansen and Kovatch emphasized that many of these growing industries do not necessarily require a four-year college education, and that students can be adequately trained for these careers at a two-year community or technical college.

The school district prepares student for graduation with programs that act as apprenticeships, in which credits earned can be transfered to local colleges, such as Chippewa Valley Technical College.

Kovatch said that the district is doing all it can to make students aware of the career options available to them. 

"We are working with UW River Falls, CTVC, and WITC, as well as the School District of River Falls, on how we increase our communication of these options to students," Kovatch said.

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Other board news:

• The Board of Education recognized Hudson High School's German teacher, Judy Wyatt-Schlei, for winning the Federal Republic of Germany Friendship Award. Wyatt-Schlei told the board that she was honored to receive the award, which is "in recognition of efforts on the behalf of the German-American relations, and in recognition  of endeavour to the fostering and sustaining of friendship, between the Federal Republic of Germany and the United States of America."
• The board announced an open house for visitors to view Hudson Middle School's addition, which will be Thursday, Feb. 24 from 4-8 p.m. Superintendent Mary Bowen-Eggebraaten noted that the addition "is not a long-term solution to our enrollment issues."
• Tom Hoffman, of Hoffman LLC, gave a presentation on the process of building the addition at Hudson Middle School. Financial Service Director Tim Erickson noted that the project was "on time and under budget."

• The board unanimously denied two separate petitions for transfer of property into the boundaries of the Hudson School District. One of the petitioners is in the Somerset School District, while the other is in the River Falls School District.