November 12, 2021 


Dear Hastings Families & Staff, 


Hastings is a busy district, with much industry and lots of product. (I borrow this phrase from an English Premier League announcer heard to remark, “Lots of industry today, yet little product.”) 


This week’s update opens with two sets of recognitions, and shout-outs to the return of indoor musical theater and a joyful social event on Wednesday evening. I then go behind the scenes to give a glimpse into a range of efforts to optimize district leadership and management capacity, organization, and operations — all essential to creating the conditions for effective teaching and learning. I close with a short briefing on COVID-19. 


Looking Back One Day to Recognize Years of Service 


Veterans’ Day was yesterday. I hope our break from school allowed us to consider those individuals who have served our nation in the military. Each school took steps over the past two weeks to help students learn about and express appreciation to Veterans. Hillside's "Season of Giving" was featured last week — through which Kindergartners assembled care packages, with donations from Hillside families, for members of the military unable to be home for the Holidays. Hillside students also made cards for Veterans after learning what a veteran is and how they helped our nation. Farragut recognized Veterans in each morning announcement this week with a daily fact. The High School recognized Veterans in History class lessons. 


Native American Heritage Month 


With leadership from students, teachers, and administrators, Hastings has been recognizing Native American Heritage Month. The November focus was announced two weeks ago with the following statement, which is posted with a special flyer on the District Website: 


During National Native American Heritage Month, we celebrate the countless contributions of Native peoples past and present and honor the influence they have had on the advancement of our Nation. It is a time to recognize the histories, invaluable contributions, and livelihood of Native American and Alaska Native people, and an opportunity to educate about the cultures, traditions, languages, and unique challenges Native peoples have faced both historically and presently. 


Land Acknowledgement 

We respectfully acknowledge that Hastings-on-Hudson occupies the land of the Wappinger and Munsee Lenape Peoples. They are the traditional owners of this land from before recorded history and are part of the oldest surviving continuous culture in the world. We honor the Wappinger and Munsee Lenape elders, and other indigenous caretakers of these lands and waters before us. As a community, we commit to honoring the values and respecting the people that lived here before us. 


Students and faculty are providing regular announcements in the Hastings Daily on recognition activities. 


The Return of Performing Arts — Indoors! 


Many of us were thrilled to take in Legally Blond, The Musical, Jr., performed by FMS’ 7th & 8th Grades on October 29-30. Full houses (with COVID-19 limited seating) were treated to a top-quality production, which was mounted with only 3.5 weeks of rehearsals. This was the first indoor performance since the Pandemic started. 


The Return of the HHS Junior Formal 


The High School’s tradition of a Junior Formal in November returned on Wednesday evening in great style. I took in the first half-hour, bearing witness to the creative conversion of the Cochran Gym into a Casino and Dance Hall (sans gambling). The Juniors were dressed to impress, and I am told all went well the rest of the evening. A big thank you to Maria Rudolph (Grade 11 Advisor), parent volunteers, and the HHS administration for supporting this vital step back to normal (and healthy) social activity. Adhering to COVID-19 regulations, all students had to show proof of vaccination and remain masked the entire evening. (Since it was a voluntary activity, we were legally able to require proof of vaccination.) 


Bolstering District Leadership & Management Capacity 


Hastings has been part of the Tri-State Consortium for many years. Tri-State’s mission: 

The Tri-State Consortium is an alliance of public school districts committed to systems thinking and collaborative inquiry as pathways toward continuous improvement. Working together as colleagues and critical friends, we apply the standards of the Tri-State model to benchmark member districts' progress in advancing teaching and learning. Consortium members support each other through external peer review of programs and practices, study groups, 

conferences and topic-based seminars designed to deepen professional learning. (Revised 2019


We are preparing for a Tri-State Site Visit in March 2022. The Chair Council, including teacher leaders and administrators, are developing the essential questions that will guide the external peer review process. At present, the focus is on fostering effective collaboration and communication among and between administrators and faculty. The Site Visits are rigorous endeavors, requiring extensive preparation, and typically produce valuable guidance to school districts. Each visit is followed up in future years to gauge progress. 


I am fortunate to be on the Steering Committee for Tri-State. Members of the Steering Committee, as well as the full list of member districts, are listed on the Tri-State Website. 


Tri-State Superintendents’ Network — One of the benefits of Tri-State is professional networks. I am participating in the Tri-State Superintendents’ Network, which, this year, is facilitated by Richard Lemons (Richard Lemons | Education Studies). Superintendents have regional associations that connect us on “mechanics,” but we lack opportunities to delve into cross-sector research on leading complex organizations during complex times. Each of seven half-day sessions will include succinct readings, case studies, and interactive exercises. This time investment should pay dividends in my efforts to be as strong a leader as possible for Hastings. 


Improving Transportation 


Earlier Community Updates this fall acknowledged that bus transportation had been a big problem for all members of the Quad Village/District Transportation Collaborative. A lot of effort has been underway by Maureen Caraballo with the Collaborative managers to rectify immediate issues. We now have started a multi-step process with our Quad Village/District partners to assess this fall’s problems and plan for how they can be avoided in Fall 2022. Meetings are underway with management teams and the superintendents. A draft action plan due to be completed in December will address: 

Staffing levels in the Collaborative Transportation Office 

Bus driver shortages 

Routing efficiency and effectiveness 

Processes for identifying and correcting problems as they arise 

Communications with districts, schools, and families in advance and in real-time when busses are off schedule. 


We will be updating the BOE and Hastings community at the December 20, 2021 meeting. 


On Pace: Hillside’s Capital Project 


The BOE received a pictorial update at its November 8, 2021 meeting on the progress with the Hillside addition. Construction is going well and currently is within budget and on schedule for spring completion. As the pictures show, contractors are busy closing in the Hillside addition as the weather continues to cool down. During the construction meetings, there has been a discussion of creating garden space alongside the new addition, which students could use as outdoor classroom space. We are regularly updating the BOE on construction progress. 


Post Tropical Storm Ida Restoration 


The BOE was updated on November 8 on the continued restoration of Reynolds Field. Repairs of the sidewalk area began this week at Reynolds. Although much of the repairs will need to occur in the spring, it is important to begin it prior to the winter season. The next piece of restoration will be the reconstruction of the culvert adjacent to Reynolds. District architects and engineers are considering possible redesigns and are working with the Village Manager and their engineers to discuss the next steps. The goal is to design a culvert that would be able to handle storms such as Ida in the future. 


Communications Surveys & Plans 


We are reviewing the responses to the communication survey distributed to families two weeks ago. Nearly 500 individuals completed the survey, providing valuable feedback. We launched this week a parallel survey of all district staff. With this internal feedback, woven with the family insights, we will complete a final draft of a Communications Framework for review by the Leadership Team and BOE. More immediately, we expect to post and distribute late next week a specific set of guidelines for families on “Who to Contact for What and When?” 


COVID-19 Update 


The most important update is that our metrics have been strong — that is, we have had a few confirmed COVID-19 cases in the district with students or staff. Indeed, there have been no new cases since October 31 for Hillside, and none for Farragut since September 15, and HHS since October 12. As with all districts and schools, we are being cautious as we head into the Holidays. 


The remaining updates this week are best summarized as, “we are awaiting specific guidance from the WCDOH, NYSED, and NYSDOH.” In each case, we will update families and staff as soon as we have more guidance. 


Regarding district-based vaccinations clinics for students ages 5-11, each Quad Village district will need to run its own clinic. We are awaiting guidance from the WCDOH on hosting clinics for as many as 550 students, who must attend with a family member and provide signed consent forms. We again recommend that families avail themselves of any opportunity for vaccination, and not wait for the district-based clinics. 

Regarding masks, the current guidance from the CDC, which is the requirement of the WCDOH and NYSED and NYSDOH, is that all students and staff in schools must wear face masks (unless excused for an approved medical reason). Superintendents in the region learned today that discussions are underway at the state level to develop metrics for when mask requirements may be modified. The accepted wisdom is that the metrics will be tied to levels of vaccination among students and staff —that is, masks likely will remain required until a high percentage of students and staff are documented as fully vaccinated. (In Massachusetts, for example, the threshold is that 80 percent of students and staff must be vaccinated before mask use is optional.) It also is assumed that no changes would be effective until after at least January 2022. 

Regarding Test to Stay, it appears that responsibility for administering the program would be placed on school districts, including the acquisition of the necessary tests. We are awaiting final guidance from the WCDOH, but are prepared to run a ‘Test to Stay’ program. 


Be well.

William S. McKersie, Ph.D. 

Interim Superintendent of Schools