October 2023

Superintendent Benson announces retirement plan

During the October 16 Monthly Board meeting, Superintendent Jamie Benson announced his retirement, effective June 30, 2024. Mr. Benson presented the Board his formal letter of retirement and summarized his honor, gratitude, and appreciation to be able to serve as superintendent for these past eleven years. Read Superintendent Benson’s full letter here.

David Bell named next superintendent

Following Mr. Benson’s retirement announcement, Board President Stacy Johnson-Myers addressed the succession plan for replacing Superintendent Benson. President Johnson-Myers issued a formal press release the next day, appointing David Bell, current Director of Human Resources and Leadership Development, as the next superintendent.

Comments from Stacy Johnson Myers

From October 16, 2023 School Board Meeting

Eleven years ago when the school board hired you, Jamie, we hoped you would serve the district until your retirement. The board wanted consistent leadership, a superintendent who would invest in relationships inside and outside the district, a leader who would facilitate a collective vision for the district and be devoted to fulfilling it. The board got what it wanted. You have served the district diligently and with distinction. You are extremely hardworking. You place the needs of students first and are committed to service. You are trustworthy and lead with integrity.

Thank you. Thank you very much. We will miss you.

Jamie informed the board a year ago of his impending retirement. Since then the board has engaged in careful succession planning and has decided to appoint the next superintendent. We will forgo an extended, expensive, unnecessary search because we are confident that the strongest, most qualified next superintendent is in the district.

The board intends to offer a superintendent contract to Mr. David Bell, the current Director of Human Resources and Leadership Development. The board will have a special meeting on October 23 to manage the logistics of this appointment and finalize contract details. At the next regular board meeting on November 21, the board will accept Jamie’s resignation and appoint David the new superintendent beginning on July 1, 2024. Jamie fully supports this plan and David is willing to serve. The school board is confident the leadership transition will be smooth.

We will have time to thank and celebrate Jamie as the school year draws to a close, but for now Jamie will have some very busy months ahead of him and the board looks forward to our continued partnership.

New website!

Our website has a fresh, new look!

After much community and staff input, and a lot of behind-the-scenes work, we are happy to announce that we have an exciting new design and structure on our website!

Our goal is to share information with our families in an easy, consistent format. Our new site is fully scalable (it will adjust on mobile devices) and has a consistent menu structure between buildings. News and information can easily be shared by the district and each school on their own landing pages.

We hope that you have an improved experience and can access information easily.

Please note that the RFSD app will no longer work for our website. A new app is coming - stay tuned for more information on its release.

Visit our district website at https://www.rfsd.k12.wi.us.

Questions or comments on the site? Contact communications@rfsd.k12.wi.us .

Community Referendum Survey Results

During the October 16 Board meeting the results of the recent community referendum survey were presented and discussed. Here is a LINK to the results that were presented by Daren Sievers, a representative from the independent survey firm of School Perceptions.

The Board will use the survey results to finalize plans for a February 20, 2024 referendum ballot to include two separate questions. The results indicate support for an “operational” referendum question and a “capital/facilities” referendum question.

“Operational” Question – The cause of this need is due to an antiquated 1993 state school funding formula that has caused the majority of districts in Wisconsin to go to their communities by way of referendum. The revenue limit formula places a cap on the amount of funds districts can obtain annually to operate their schools. An operational referendum allows districts to exceed the state-imposed revenue limit to fund daily operations. The School District of River Falls has not pursued this type of referendum in the past 25 years. However, 84% of other districts in Wisconsin have sought such support.

“Capital/Facilities” Question – The cause of this need is largely driven by not having enough annual operating dollars to pay for all of our facility improvement needs. Additionally, some of our facility needs were not included in the last referendum. A capital (facilities) referendum allows a district to issue debt (take out a loan) to pay for major facility improvements. This is the type of referendum River Falls voters supported in 2018.

Over the next two months, the Board-appointed Project Oversight Committee (POC) will review survey results as well as the formal facility needs assessment report and projected future budget deficits. The POC will then make a recommendation to the full Board related to the specifics of the two separate referendum questions.

No later than December 12 the full Board will pass a formal resolution stating the specific referendum questions to be on the February 20 ballot. The district will provide opportunities for the public to become more familiar with referendum details through a series of public Board meetings, public forums, website updates, emails, and household mailings.

Please consider attending one or more of the following:

Lunch with the Superintendent, Coffee with the Superintendent, Board Meetings, and Public Forums (dates TBD).

Important Dates

Nov 3 End of Quarter One (Secondary level)

Nov 6 No School (Teacher Inservice)

Nov 20 Monthly Board of Education Meeting

Nov 22-24 No School (Thanksgiving break)

Nov 30 End of Trimester One (Elementary level)

2023-24 BOARD MEETINGS

Nov 20, Dec 18, Jan 22, Feb 19, March 25, April 15,

April 22 (Board reorganizational meeting), May 20, June 17

*School board agendas are available the Friday before each meeting.

#rfpride

In partnership with families and the community, the School District of River Falls is an innovative PK-12 grade educational leader committed to the academic, social, emotional, and physical well-being of every student.

Our new district e-newsletter is one way we hope to increase connections and communication between the School District of River Falls and our community. We'll periodically share our "good news" and other important information about our district in this publication. You are receiving this district communication because you are a School District of River Falls parent/guardian, staff, or Community Education participant. Individuals who do not currently have students in our district can still receive this communication by subscribing to it.