Board OKs new SRO contract, extends third officer through 2029

by Judy Stringer

June 25 school board meeting

The Hudson City School District Board of Education moved forward on several key community partnerships and financial agreements, headlined by the renewal of its school resource officer (SRO) program.

The board unanimously authorized a memorandum of understanding with the city of Hudson to extend its three-year contract for school resource officers. The current agreement, which ran from 2023 through 2026, increased the number of SROs from two to three, with the school district picking up the cost of the additional officer at $110,000 per year. The city provides the other two officers at no charge.

The three-year extension echoes those provisions but at an increased cost to the district. According to a memo provided to Hudson City Council by Police Chief Perry Tabak, HCSD will pay $124,000 annually under the new terms. In recommending the contract extension, Superintendent Dana Addis praised the ongoing cooperation between the district and local police.

“I just want the board to know the amazing work that this school district completes with our police department and with our city,” Addis said. “We have three amazing officers who are taking great care of our kids.”

Several board members noted that the officers are fully engaged with students during school events.

“It makes me very happy to see our students flock to them at like football games and things like that,” said board member Tom Tobin. “It tells me a lot about the connections that are being made.”

Facilities and transportation

The board addressed multiple facility and programming agreements, including a one-year lease extension for the Auto Technologies building located at 4050 State Rd. The facility houses the district’s Auto Technologies program as part of the Six District Compact.

The current lease was set to expire on June 30. Under the approved extension, the monthly lease payment will remain flat at $4,500 through Dec. 31. Beginning Jan. 1, the monthly rate will increase by $500 to a total of $5,000 per month through June 30, 2027.

Addis stated that the one-year extension provides the administration with the necessary time to evaluate long-term options for the program, including potential lease-to-own models or an outright facility purchase.

The board also approved an agreement with Suburban School Transportation Company Inc. for the 2026-2027 school year. Unlike the district’s primary bus fleet, which is managed by Petermann, Suburban handles specialized routes for out-of-district students and those requiring individual accommodations, according to Director of Pupil Services Kelly Kempf.

Kempf explained that this specialized service helps the district meet its legal obligation, particularly regarding the transportation of students experiencing homelessness, which, she said, “has been rising across the region.”

Finally, the board approved renewal of the district’s property, fleet, pollution and liability insurance through the Ohio School Plan. The combined total premium for the upcoming year is set at $270,312, which represents an annual savings of $7,352 from the previous year, noted Treasurer Phil Butto.

Band instruments

Butto outlined an emerging proposal to address what he called an “out of the ordinary” need for costly new musical instruments for the Hudson High School Band, driven by the age and condition of the existing inventory. Due to the depth of the replacement list, Butto explained that he, band director John Rodesh and representatives of the Hudson Music Association are exploring a five-year lease option under which the district would gain ownership of the instruments at the end of the term. HMA would shoulder about half of the annual lease payments.

Butto plans to prepare a written proposal with full details for the board following early board feedback and input from the district’s finance committee.

Community donations and grants

Giving the music program an immediate boost, the board formally accepted a $9,500 grant from the Hudson Parent Teacher Organization for the purchase of a new sousaphone for the high school band. The PTO also provided an additional $4,310 for the purchase of 20 Orff Basic Beat stands for East Woods Intermediate School.

Other grants and gifts accepted by the board include:

• $7,597 from the Hudson City Schools Foundation Tennis Courts to be used for the ongoing maintenance of the tennis courts at Hudson High School.
• $6,000 from the Hudson High School Drama Club Fund to support the high school drama program.
• $3,000 from Michael and Allison Gedeon to fund the Francy Sears Elementary Excellence Award.
• $1,241 from Hudson Community First to purchase books for the upcoming Reading Night Under the Lights event.

New unit high school principal

In personnel matters, the board approved hiring Alex Popovich as the new unit principal at Hudson High School, effective Aug. 1. Popovich comes to Hudson from the Twinsburg City School District, where he spent 23 years, starting as an English Language Arts teacher and later serving as athletic director, assistant principal and, most recently, curriculum supervisor. He holds a bachelor’s degree in education from Youngstown State University and a master’s degree in educational administration from John Carroll University.