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Dale Carlson, the new district administrator for the Holmen School District, is spending a lot of time learning, just like the students he has been hired to serve.

“I’m in a learning phase,” Carlson said. “My personal priority is to take every opportunity to observe and learn, assess the status of the districts’ programs, processes and systems that are in place. I’m relying on key people on staff to share how we’ve made critical decisions in the past.”

The decision to move the family from Janesville to take the job in Holmen was based on how they felt as parents in placing their sons in the school district. “I’m a parent,” Carlson said. “And I will place my two sons (ages 13 and 10) over any career opportunity.” He said he feels fortunate that the career decision and the location are a good fit.

The area was familiar as La Crosse is one of the many places Carlson has lived. The son of a pastor, Carlson was born in Florida but raised in Iowa, graduating from Augustana College in Sioux Falls. He met his wife Sharon in college. She is a teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing.

Carlson said he was fortunate to come into a district with such a strong reputation and foundation.

“In fairness to the district and the leadership over the years, I need to learn and be patient as we look to see how we can build on our strengths to provide the best environment possible for the students. I’m fortunate things are really strong but there are challenges.”

On-going budget issues are among those challenges. Interscholastic activities, transportation and other needs are requiring hard decision making.

Carlson’s expectations for himself are to get a handle on the financial situation, to challenge each of the staff to improve themselves and each other in the work they do and to provide quality service to parents and the community.

“We’re here to serve the parents and assist them in educating their children,” Carlson said. “We’re also here to support the community in providing a quality school district in partnership with the community.”

Holmen has experienced a growth rate that surpasses any community in La Crosse County. Preliminary estimates of the population show that Holmen’s population increased 27.4 percent from 2000 to 2008. “The rate of growth will require us to plan for the future,” Carlson said. “The growth brings new opportunities for the community, not just the district. We need each other and will work together. If there’s any hope of attracting new business to the area, people will look to the quality of the school district.”

Student achievement is at the top of the priority list. “There’s no question we need to move the school district forward in improving student achievement,” he said. “Academic achievement is the primary focus. We’re placing a priority on a high level of learning. Plus we’re looking at overall growth of the student.”

Carlson is excited about applying new tools he and his staff learned through a conference he and teachers attended over the summer focusing on continuous improvement. A speaker offered specific tools that teachers can use to help students find different ways to learn.

Carlson believes the social development of each student is extremely important as well, yet difficult to measure. He will rely on professional staff to help assess overall growth and use behavioral surveys to help measure progress.

“These are all pieces to a very important puzzle we must put together for our students. Activities outside the classroom are important and people are passionate about them. There are important benefits to students in experiencing as much as possible that supports what we’re doing in the classroom.”

What Carlson believes he brings to the district are his strong listening skills, his collaborative management style and taking the time, when it is available, to reflect on issues before making decisions.

“I hope I demonstrate these qualities and that I have a high level of care for students and for the important level of work by the staff. I want people to know I’m committed to the education of children of the school district, that I am honest and straightforward.”

Carlson is excited about the new opportunity to participate in educating youngsters and to bring his skills to Holmen in that effort. “I get to start over and build that level of trust in this community as I have in past communities.”