NHREG retiree: School district in better shape

After six years as superintendent of the New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva (NRHEG) Public Schools, Dale Carlson is stepping down effective June 30.
“The most meaningful aspect of being the NRHEG superintendent has been the opportunity to work alongside and be part of a staff that is committed to kids. That’ll be something I’m going to miss, working alongside caring professionals who are committed to helping students learn and grow every day,” he said. “I’m so appreciative of their commitment to the kids and our communities.”
Carlson said he’s also going to miss helping the district select quality staff and supporting the team in its day-to-day work.
But, he said, it’s the communities’ support and involvement that helped him achieve his biggest accomplishment as superintendent – passage of the school referendum in April 2019, which funded upgrades at both school buildings.
“The construction and renovation, as a result of the support we received from the community, has certainly been a highlight as well. I’m excited to see where our career tech education programs go. That was such a focus of much of the renovation process at the secondary school, most notably in our family and consumer science as well as our industrial tech and construction trades. We also funded much-needed improvements in our science labs and security upgrades at the elementary school,” he said.
Thanks to those upgrades, he said, he’s leaving the NRHEG school district in better shape than when he arrived.
 After six years at NRHEG and 36 years in public education, Carlson is unsure what he’ll do in his retirement.
“I don’t know what that will look like at this time. I’ll take some time to reflect on where I want to go,” he said. “I’m looking forward to being able to volunteer and spending more time with family, but I likely won’t step away totally from public education as I still have a high interest in being involved in impacting young lives.”
“I want to thank the board of education for its support and trust in me. I want to thank the NRHEG community for all they’ve done to support my work but more importantly in support of our students, staff and families,” he said. “Thank you to the staff for their ongoing commitment to our kids and our communities.”