The end of this school year will be a very different one for Randy Nelson. After almost four decades working in education, the School District of La Crosse superintendent shared the news today with district staff that he plans to retire at the end of the current school year, on June 30, 2020.
“I’m so proud to serve this community, the students and families, and this amazing group of coworkers and frankly our family here at the School District of La Crosse,” said Superintendent Randy Nelson. “La Crosse is a special place. This community and our district share a belief in the values of relationship building, empathy and compassion for others, and a focus on the importance of every individual. Those values were clear to me when I first came to La Crosse and are even clearer now.”
Nelson came to the School District of La Crosse in 2008 as the Associate Superintendent of Instruction and has served as the district’s Superintendent of Schools since 2011.
“Becoming a superintendent of schools was not a path I anticipated when I first started teaching,” said Nelson. “It evolved into an opportunity through the support I’ve received from so many people in my lifetime. The seed to become an educator was first planted by my teachers when I was a K-12 student growing up in Cambridge, Minnesota. They refused to let me slip through the cracks, shared with me so much of their time and talents, and modeled for me what I knew I wanted to be when I grew up – a teacher.”
In 1983, Nelson started his professional journey as a high school speech, theater, and English teacher. For the past twenty years, he has supported learners as a school administrator leading students, staff, and community members on a journey of school improvement with a focus on relationship building and trust.
He has served the La Crosse area as a member of the board for La Crosse Promise, the La Crosse Public Education Foundation, the La Crosse Health Science Consortium, Great Rivers United Way, and the La Crosse Community Theater.
“Thank you to everyone who continues to support children and families in this area,” said Nelson. “I am honored to have been a part of the amazing and transformative work happening in every corner, nook, and cranny of this wonderful district – every minute, of every day.”
