Hudson School Board Candidate Forum | Local News

Clarification: This article has been updated to include new information on who organized the event. The library hosted the event outright. The Star-Observer received a press release stating that Willow River Parent Group organized this event, which was the original intention, but the group decided to let another party step in due to a possible conflict of interest and it being Ash Wednesday.

The Hudson Library hosted an event where its Director, Shelley Tougas, asked questions to candidates for Hudson School Board at the high school’s auditorium in a discussion on the referendum and student mental health.

There are three open seats for the school board up for election April 1, one of which is a one-year term.

Lynn Robson, Maria Rudie, Addison Filiatreaux, Joe Rivera, Erin Gerlach and Bryan Dahl are running for school board. Robson, who had previously served on the board for nine years, earned reappointment after board member Heather Logelin moved away from the school district.

What motivated the candidates to run?

Filiatreaux, the lone teacher running for school board in Hudson, talked about how she grew up in River Falls before graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in English Education. She then earned her master’s degree in reading from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, and is currently pursuing her second master’s from Hamline in school administration.

“It is really weird to me to not have a teacher’s voice on a school board, especially with the looming budget cuts,” she said. “I’m really passionate about the quality of education that Hudson has and with my two boys both going to Willow [River Elementary] and the possibility of the school being cut, I do want to ensure there are community conversations around the possible school closures,” Filiatreaux said.

Robson, the lone incumbent in the race, has lived in the Hudson community for around 30 years. Her daughters graduated from Hudson High School in 2019 and 2024. She’s been a Real Estate Broker and Owner. 

“I’m here cause I’m committed to community service and I feel like my service on the Hudson Board of Education is the most important place I can contribute to my community,” Robson said.

Rudie has lived in Hudson for nearly 20 years, starting in North Hudson then moving to the town of Hudson. She has two children in the school district: one at the high school and the other at the middle school. She said she’s volunteered through chaperoning on field trips, sports/band and contributing to committees within the school community.

“My family’s experiences with Hudson Schools, teachers and other families have deepened my appreciation for the strong commitment our community has to schools. We know that strong schools with rigorous academic programs and a wide range of extracurricular activities play a vital role in building strong communities and they provide our children with opportunities to succeed and help drive economic growth by attracting families and businesses that recognize the value of a high-quality education.”

Gerlach, a Hudson native, is a mother of three children in the school district. She is a marketing and sales professional. She has 10 years of Human Resources experience, continued education in health and wellness and she has experience serving as Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) President at Trinity Academy. She is currently a Board member of Hudson Virtual Charter School.

“I’m running because I believe we need strong leadership that prioritizes academics, fiscal responsibility, accountability and eliminating distractions so our students and teachers can focus on what truly matters, which is education.” “I want to ensure that parents have a voice, our taxpayer dollars are used wisely and every student has the opportunity to succeed.”

An Air Force veteran with 20 years of service, Rivera has two kids in the school district. Rivera also has seven years of service in leadership and Human Resources. He said he’s committed his career to problem solving, strategic planning and ensuring that organizations operate effectively. 

“I will bring that same commitment to the school board, focusing on policies that improve academic proficiency, enhance the safety of students and staff and ensuring that every single dollar spent will go to improving academic outcomes, not just shiny, new things.”

Dahl said he attended Houlton Elementary before graduating from Hudson High School. He graduated from St. John’s University with a degree in history. He then studied at the University of Minnesota’s Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs, where he earned a degree in public policy. 

“It’s important to me that we protect the core strengths of this district when making these decisions, these strengths, to me, include our moderate class sizes, well compensated and supported teachers and staff and nimble schools and district that can effectively respond and adjust to the needs of our students, community and our society, he said.

On what excites them about the school district…

Robson said one of the things that excites her is the test scores that came out of the school district recently. 

“This year, the Hudson school district received good news on the Wisconsin School state report card, the district attained the exceeds expectations rating from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. And the district’s overall report card rating places Hudson in the top 10% of all K through 12 schools in Wisconsin,” she said.

Rudie said, for her, it’s the community.

“Each school creates a community for the kids, and for the families and for the parents and the teachers, and the dedication that the teachers bring every single day when they walk through that door.”

Gerlach echoed the sentiment regarding teachers in the district. She also mentioned the extra electives. 

“I think that opens up so many more opportunities for our kids to just try things out. And it gets them excited about going to school…” Gerlach said. 

While Rivera agreed with the other speakers, he also mentioned Executive Administrative Assistant Tim Miner and Hudson Prairie Elementary School’s Principal Joe Behnke as being particularly helpful with getting acclimated to the school district.

Rivera said Behnke “reached out and said, ‘Hey, I’m the principal of your new school. You guys have already missed orientation when you get in town, please call me. I will take you around and show you everything you need to know.’ We got in town. As soon as I walked through that door, he already knew who I was; he knew who my kids were, and he was ready to show us the school.”

Dahl echoed previous comments and also gave props to the administration, acknowledging that the office is “maybe not the most popular group here.”

When we rolled out the new reading curriculum last year, our experience as parents and [my daughter’s] experience as a second-grader was that it was a smooth transition,” Dahl said. “It was clear that our teachers were supported, and it was clear that the administration had thought through how to roll out the new curriculum, how to have resources for the teachers, resources for parents to understand what the changes were.”

Filiatreaux agreed with previous speakers. She mentioned dual enrollment class offerings, mental health gains and special education as highlights.

“The district does such a good job with special ed, it’s astounding. It has been life changing for my child, and I can’t speak any more positively than what they’ve done,” she said. 

Who supports the referendum?

Rudie, Dahl, Filiatreaux and Robson said they support the referendum on the ballot in April. Filiatreaux mentioned that she actively campaigns to vote yes, saying “I don’t want teachers or support staff or custodians to lose their jobs, and anything that I can do to make it so that people do not lose their jobs, I support.”

Dahl said he does so hesitantly, because he wishes that the district did not “have to rely on property taxes to fund our schools in the state of Wisconsin.”

Gerlach and Rivera do not support the referendum. Rivera said he voted yes for the referendum that was denied by a majority of voters in November, but now he feels differently.

“I support the need to get funding for our schools and to work on that, but that’s a problem that’s happened since 2009 and we’re in 2025 what has happened over 16 years? I think it is time that we listen to the community and respect the wishes that they have sold us as a board member,” Rivera said. 

On next steps if the referendum does not pass…

Gerlach said she doesn’t like that this is happening, but she will support students and teachers amid school closures. The school board has discussed potentially closing Houlton and/or Willow River Elementary Schools — which the district may have to do regardless of whether the referendum passes — but no decision is final as of now.

“I will ensure that the move is handled with great care, minimizing disruption to the education and providing the resources and support needed for a smooth transition,” she said.

Rivera said he thinks it’s unfair for voters to make the referendum on the ballot a make-or-break issue considering he currently does not serve on the school board, so he cannot weigh in on the decision-making in the district.

He added: “I supported it before. I don’t support it this time, but I do support the outcome on April 1.”

Dahl said he’s disappointed that two area legislators — State Rep. Shannon Zimmerman and State Senator Rob Stafsholt — are on the Joint Committee on Finance and “have not made choices.”

“The legislature has not stepped up,” Dahl said in part.

Filiatreaux said in part “I’m still hopeful that we can find creative solutions and that we can get the funding from the state.”

As a member of the board, Robson said they have been advocating to the legislature to get more funding. But if the referendum does not pass and additional funding doesn’t come in, she said some of the smaller budget cutbacks may not be enough, saying “closing schools would be one of those that would have the biggest impact on filling that hole”

Like Robson, Rudie said that everything is on the table given budget constraints.

“If we’re looking at an $8 million plus deficit in our budget by 2028, 2029 which is what is projected by Baird, that’s a significant budget cut,” she said.

On addressing mental health in schools…

Rivera wants to get rid of phones in schools, saying “cell phones are causing outrageous numbers of anxiety in our children and our parents and across the world.”

“So I think something as small, as simple as just getting rid of cell phones in our schools, you can see our mental health rates improve dramatically,” he said.

Dahl said access to counselors in school is critical. He also mentioned cell phones, social media and technology in general.

“Sometimes it feels like we’re acting in the best interest of Google and Apple and Meta as opposed to the best interest of ourselves,” he said.

Filiatreaux mentioned student sense of belonging has gone up by 4%, which is a big deal. She also mentioned breathing exercises, morning meetings and drug use intervention.

“It’s just so imperative to help kids know what they can do to prevent drug use, because that is associated with mental health and anxiety,” Filiatreaux said.

Robson said she thinks the school district has done well in helping students with mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“As a board member, I believe our role is to make sure we prioritize funding for mental health, providing access to services in the district for those kids in need, and as well as supporting our teaching staff,” she added.

Rudie echoed Robson’s thoughts on the school district’s current resources. She also brought up reconvening Hudson School’s mental health task force.

“This is a critical task force that brings together not just staff across the district, but County Public Health, city folks to say, ‘How do we do this together?'” Rudie said.

Gerlach agreed with dropping cell phones and other distractions. She also said it’s crucial for students to have trust in adults in the school district and at home.

“If we learned anything through COVID, it was that we need to focus on the positive, which in this district, happens to be the extracurriculars of music, art and phys-ed. They are essential.”

On diverse needs in the school district…

Dahl said every child needs to have access to their teachers, their programs and not only that, but feel safe in their schools.

“Our kids can’t learn if they don’t feel safe in our schools,” he said.

Filiatreaux said she disagrees with the school district’s potential cut of center-based schools for autism and intellectual disabilities. She added the school district is falling short on students of lower socio-economic status.

“For the past seven years, [I’ve] been teaching in schools that are 100% free and reduced lunch, so I do have the experience and the knowledge and the expertise to bring forward some ideas for what we can do, for setting policies to address that,” she said. 

Robson echoed Dahl’s comments on creating a safe environment. She also wants to focus on staff training.

“Making sure the staff are trained and able to identify students that are potentially at risk and making sure they’re making the appropriate interventions,” Robson said.

Rudie said the school has to create a welcoming environment. She mentioned that only 30% of funding comes from the state on special education, and that Hudson has done a good job of covering the rest.

“To the tune of about $8 million every year,” Rudie said. “This district is committed and continues to show its commitment to meeting the needs of every student, and we cannot waver in that.”

Gerlach said what’s been said by previous candidates covers it well.

“Every child is different and deserves access to quality education that meets their individual needs,” she said. 

Rivera shared similar sentiments.

“When it comes to crafting policies, our policy is already there to support all students. All students means every single student that comes through the door,” he said.

Challenges facing the school district…

Filiatreaux said she wants to ensure that the school district is writing its own very strong policy that will support students who are in special ed. 

“I’m currently working at a school where we are short on special education staff, and it is, it’s not good that we are short. I’m filling a lot of the gap being a title one reading interventionist, but it’s, it’s tricky.”

Robson mentioned three challenges: declining enrollment, how that relates to the state funding formula and attracting and retaining quality staff. She said all these issues are related to the budget.

“If declining enrollment and capped revenue from the state funding formula are not addressed, we will be limited in our ability to offer competitive compensation and benefits, which allows us to recruit and retain quality professionals,” Robson said.

Rudie also mentioned declining enrollment, saying “we’re not attracting families.”

“The district cannot,” she said, “that’s not within their purview, but we have to be advocating and talking with the county, with the towns, with the city. [Asking] ‘how are we doing this? How are we thinking about community development?'”

Gerlach said the biggest challenges are comprehension and proficiency levels.

“Even though we are in the top 11 schools in the district, I think that we definitely could make some more improvements there,” she said. “I believe that the taxpayers really need to start seeing a return on investment from their last referendum that passed.”

Rivera also brought up recruiting for teachers. He mentioned mental health resources for teachers as well as students. And he discussed adding cursive writing and strengthening civics education.

“And directing that at least 70% of our school budgets go towards classroom instruction while promoting responsible spending,” he said.

Dahl said he considers budgeting “a moral practice. It reflects the values of our community.”

“I want to be part of that in this community,” he said. “I think that Hudson really values its strong schools. Our schools are the backbone of this community.”

Additional comments

Robson said she is passionate about education in the community.

“As my record shows, I am committed to serving the district by being a strong community leader in an active advocate for the goals of the district,” she said in part.

Rudie said the success of the schools and the community depends on strong partnerships.

“When we work together, we can ensure our schools are places that provide strong academic experiences with extracurricular activities that prepare students for the future…” she said.

Gerlach said she has experience as a parent-volunteer, and she would be honored to solve problems in the school district.

“If you believe in strong academics, fiscal responsibility and keeping our schools on the right path, I ask for your vote on April 1,” Gerlach said.

Rivera said if elected he will collaborate with other board members.

“Even when we have differences of opinion, as long as we could focus on the bigger picture, picture, which is our children, we will be just fine,” he said. He added: “Stronger schools, stronger Hudson.”

Dahl said he will focus on four key pillars: maintaining thriving public schools, pragmatism, results and compassion.

“We have to remember that every child in this district has a different story and life experience. Some have the support they need at home, and some need more from their school,” he said regarding his last point.

Filiatreaux emphasized her background.

“I am continuing to dedicate my life to education by becoming an administrator to elevate teaching, and I can ask the questions that other people can’t because they haven’t been in a classroom, she said. “And I have worked with some of the most difficult kids that a lot of people would have given up on, and I have seen success and I know what it takes to have success with all students.”