There was no news regarding the ongoing criminal investigation involving alleged student drug possession at Hudson High School. 

The Hudson Police Department in conjunction with the St. Croix County Drug Task Force executed warrants at Hudson High School between Wednesday, Jan. 25 and Thursday, Jan. 26, seizing a sizable amount of illegal substances, according to member of the drug task force and Hudson Police Department Detective Ryan Bleskey. 

He confirmed that 199 THC cartridges, 19.95 ounces of THC flower, 22 mushroom psilocybin edibles and $9,945 in cash were seized during the search. 

Superintendent Nick Ouellette reaffirmed the limited information the district could provide at the time during the Feb. 13 Board of Education meeting, due to the ongoing criminal investigation. 

Ouellette said the district is working with law enforcement and running its own investigation side-by-side. 

He said that during the February or March work session, the board will invite experts in to talk with the board on how they are adjusting to the times and how the district can combat drugs in their buildings. 

School board member Heather Logelin asked, “What might we need to do differently as this has become more of a problem in our schools?” 

School-age care 

The updated school-age care costs per session increased to $9.10 for the 2023-24 school year, less than a dollar more than the same service provided during the 2020-21 school year. 

The Fund 80 budget, used for community programming and services throughout the district, has steadily reduced its deficit. As of November, Fund 80 had a positive fund balance of $131,229, not including levy revenue. 

The prior November, the balance was negative $279,879.

“Fund 80 services are fee based and the goal is to have a cost neutral budget. We try to keep the cost of services as low as possible in order to serve as many community members as possible. This is the second year the school district has levied dollars to help cover the cost of Fund 80 services,” Tracy said. “The vast majority of school districts levy dollars for their Fund 80 services.” 

With these increases in mind, staff recommended that school-age care not increase fees more than 5% to cover inflation.  

“The School Age Care budget is projected to end the 2022-2023 fiscal year with a positive balance,” the memorandum said. “We believe we can maintain a positive balance and keep costs reasonable for our families with this increase.” 

Extra Fund 80 dollars cannot be moved to the district’s general fund, however general fund dollars can temporarily support Fund 80 if there is a plan to maintain a cost neutral. 

COVID-19 caused exacerbated drops in Hudson’s Fund 80, which is why the district chose to turn to levied dollars, helping to restore sustainability and increase programming to the community at an affordable rate.

Referendum info sessions

Learn more about the April 4 referendum questions by joining one of the upcoming community information presentations with the Hudson School District. 

• Feb. 22, Hudson Middle School, choir room, 1300 Carmichael Road, 6:30-8 p.m. 

• March 21, virtual presentation on Zoom, 6-7:30 p.m., link at hudsonraiders.com. 

• March 23, North Hudson Elementary School, media center, 510 Lemon St. N., 6:30-8 p.m.

There will be two questions on the ballot. 

Questions 1: Resolution to exceed the revenue cap commencing with the 2023-2024 school year in an amount of $8 million each year on a recurring basis for the purpose of paying District operations, maintenance, and staffing costs.

Questions 2: Resolution authorizing issuance of general obligation bonds in the amount not to exceed $29,000,000 for the facility and grounds improvements to the EP Rock and North Hudson Elementary Schools and the Hudson Middle School, and equipment acquisition related to said projects.

Quick hits

• Two petitions to alter school district boundaries in the town of St. Joseph were approved by the board. The parcels are both located near White Eagle Golf Club, one at the end of White Eagle Road and the other falling just east of the course. Both the parcels were “Islands” from the Somerset School District, adjacent to the Hudson School District. It will have to be approved by the Somerset School Board in order to be legally changed. 

• Five candidates for the Hudson Board of Education will be on the primary election ballot, Feb. 21. Check myvote.wi.gov for more information on your polling place. 

• The district enrollment is up about 18 students as of January. However, in comparison to last year, they’re still down 80 students overall. Superintendent Nick Ouellette noted that there are about 50 more students open enrolling into the district than are open enrolling out of the district.