WINFIELD, W.Va. — The new school year begins Thursday in Putnam County where school Superintendent John Hudson is beginning his second school year in the top position.
Hudson said what he knew about the school system before taking the job was reaffirmed last school year.
“Excellence is a tradition here and I know being satisfied with good or being satisfied with great is not good enough. We need to continue to get better,” Hudson, who came from the Boone County school system, said.
The Putnam district has 23 schools, nearly 10,000 students and 1,300 employees.
Based on feedback from students, the system is adding another social media option this year–Instagram. There’s also a fun program to begin school year, Hudson said.
“It’s a 17-day challenge to students via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram where we can share student success and school successes,” he said. “We’re really excited to engage our community about all of the positive and wonderful things that are happening.”
Hudson said he won’t know for sure for a few months but there may be a bump in student enrollment this year.
“We are anticipating–we could have a slight increase is what we’re hoping for,” he said.
Major construction projects in the past few months have included upgrades at Buffalo Elementary School. Hudson said during the next year there are plans to update many rooftop HVAC units around the county.