Superintendent Jamie Benson has steered the ship for 11 years in the River Falls School District, but he’s set to hand the wheel over to a new skipper. His last day is June 28.

“After a 39-year career in education, 26 as a superintendent, my wife and I decided to allow more time for family,” Benson said. “In addition to securing a part-time job in retirement from education, I will spend more time with family.”

Benson and his wife Jan have three adult children and seven grandkids; he also plans to spend more time with his dad and two brothers.

Benson became principal in July 2013 after serving as superintendent of the River Valley School District in southwest Wisconsin for 15 years. His wife worked at a hospital for 30 years and their children graduated high school; when the River Falls position became vacant, he was drawn to the community and district.

“This community has a long history of supporting public education, the university, tech school, and a strong PK-12 reputation of providing kids with a great education,” Benson said. “Additionally, the community parks/recreational opportunities, proximity to the suburbs of the Twin Cities combined with the hometown family values in River Falls were very aligned to our personal interests and values.”

Benson described the people, employees, and quality of programs and services as “second-to-none.” He said the community support of the district is incredible.

“River Falls provides many varied educational experiences for students, many of which are not found in smaller/rural districts,” Benson said. “The programs/services, co-curricular clubs/organizations, athletics, the arts/music programs are endless, along with supportive facilities.

“We have more course offerings, high level science/math classes, apprenticeship/work-based learning, remedial supports, character education, KidsClub, Community Education, robust summer school programs, and many experiences and opportunities that are simply not found in all districts.”

Benson credits the team surrounding him for many of the district’s accomplishments. He also believes he and staff have worked hard to be responsive listeners.

“Listening to what the community wanted from our school system and then working with the community and faculty, staff, and the school board to make decisions that were centered on those community values,” Benson said. “We have upheld family values, which applies to the students and families we serve, as well as our employees – educating and supporting students as if they were my own children/grandchildren. Every decision, every day was determined by what's best for kids.”

Benson is also proud of helping to build the community’s trust, along with the “highly functional” school board under Stacy Johnson Meyers’ leadership, the strong admin team, and the positive culture with staff and students.

He helped implement two strategic plans, which were developed with the community’s input, to set a course for continuing and improving the high quality school system. Benson is pleased the district was able to find new permanent homes for the Renaissance Charter Academy and River Falls Public Montessori Elementary.

Voters also passed four referendum questions in his 11 years, which he sees as a credit to the community for understanding and believing the district’s wants and needs for how to best support the kids. He is happy the district has provided improved support for the district’s children most in need, including English language learners, gifted/talented, special education and those with mental health needs.

“But most importantly, hiring really great people who love and care for our students,” Benson said “We have great people in front of our students....mentoring, guiding, teaching, counseling, coaching, and loving our students in a very servant manner.  

“Again, any/all of our district accomplishments are that of many people - staff, admin, parents, community members, partnerships with civic organizations, UWRF, CVTC, etc.”

As the saying goes, hindsight is 20/20 and Benson admits he’s far from perfect. He knows there are certain things that could have been done differently, but he wants people to know they always did their best to admit when they “fumbled the ball and tried very hard to correct those matters.”

He faced many challenges while leading the district, including navigating the COVID pandemic, financial shortfalls from the state’s antiquated funding formula, and conflicting public opinions, which Bensons said were often over political topics often grounded in national themes.

“I learned more about leadership (largely due to being surrounded by many strong administrators, board, and community leaders); I learned more about the research-based best practices for how to teach kids; I learned more about how to navigate challenging situations; I learned more about the depth and breadth of how much this River Falls community will forever hold high expectations for our education system AND if those expectations are met, they will forever support our needs,” Benson said. “It’s an amazingly supportive, kind, helpful, caring community that puts service above self.”

This fall, Benson will begin a part-time job while spending time with his family, gardening, fishing, reading and catching up on sleep.

“I will forever be grateful to the community for allowing me the honor and privilege to be entrusted with the responsibilities tied to my job. Thank you.”