MONROE — After more than two decades as the School District of Monroe Business Administrator, Ron Olson is putting down his calculator and pencil. He wrote a letter to the Board of Education recently announcing his intent to retire.
In his letter to the board announcing his decision, he said the district staff, which he has worked with for “a number of years” has been great, he said. “We have a lot of difficult conversations and things to navigate. I think we’re able to have those tough conversations and still come out on the other side knowing and respecting each other and always with the vision of this district and our kids at the forefront. I think that’s really what’s most important.”
At the Monday, Nov. 9 school board meeting, board members took turns praising Olson for his ability to simplify complicated budgetary concerns in a way that non-numbers savvy people could understand, as well as his tact, respectful professionalism, and ability to keep a level head.
“You’re able to explain what is a little complex into layman’s terms, not only for the board members, but also the community. I think that’s a real talent,” said board member Phil Vosberg. (Ron offers) “recommendations that are very practical, rather than (saying), ‘Here’s the problem, you guys solve it.’ Ron is always ‘Here’s the problem, here’s a practical solution for you to consider. To me, that’s invaluable.”
School board Vice President Teresa Keehn lauded Olson for how he’s guided the Board and the district through countless budgets, difficult financial situations, referendums, and the new high school project.
“And you’ve done it with grace and integrity and knowledge and dedication,” she said. “I’m not sure people realize how much you put in behind the scenes, but many people do, and it’s very much appreciated. For someone who spent his career managing budgets, balancing numbers, making those difficult financial decisions, I think one thing that stands out is how you treat people. You’re more than just a business manager; you’re a colleague, a mentor, a steady voice and a friend.”
Board member Mike Davis said he first got to know Olson while serving on the Big Brothers Big Sisters Board. Sitting through some of those meetings, it didn’t take Davis long to see just how dedicated Olson was to the cause.
Now as a board member, Davis has worked alongside Olson when meeting with the unions and emphasized how “extremely respectful” Olson was when handling his business, as well as Olson’s impeccable memory.
“Your memory is unbelievable. I mean, stuff that happened 18 or 19 years ago, you can take and you can lift that stuff off verbatim,” Davis said. “I know that the union people — the leaders — truly respect that. It is a gift.”
Olson said he’s been meeting with union leadership for 20 years. Before he came to Monroe from his previous district, Northland Pines, he said “they were marching on the district office” when he first arrived.
In Monroe, Olson has spent countless hours, days, weeks, months of his life sitting through educational meetings, superintendent Joe Monroe said.
“Which, really, he could have tapped out of because a lot of administrators or business administrators would have. And Ron is just the kind of guy that he just truly cares about the kids, the families, our staff, (and) our administrative team,” said superintendent Joe Monroe.
Terri Montgomery worked with Olson dating back to her days as a teacher, and then as an administrator and now on the Board of Education. The biggest thing about Olson, Montgomery said, is that he is a great friend and listener.
“If I ever had problems, I could go to Ron and I could tell him and he would listen and be a great sounding board,” she said. “He wasn’t going to tell you what to do, but he would give you suggestions of ideas of things that you could do and what the outcomes of those things would be. But it was always your decision to make.”
Supt. Monroe tried to briefly sum up Olson’s accomplishments, while thanking him for all the work he accomplished over the years.
“Ron’s done so much for this district, and those that have been paying attention over the years know what kind of shape we’re in fiscally,” Supt. Monroe said. “When he came in, and to be able to take us from a half a million dollars into the hole to where we’ve been recently, it’s an incredible story, and I think that only tells a portion of what Ron’s about. I’ve had the privilege of working with a number of business administrators over the years, and I’ve never met one that was so competent when it came to the numbers, but also so caring about the kids and staff and invested in all the conversations we have.”
Vosberg, Keehn and BOE president Jim Curran continued to laud Olson’s handling of the district’s financial situation over the years, which the balance fund went from about half a million in debt to a high of nearly $9 millions at one point. The number today is much lower, however, thanks in large part to the state’s unwillingness to finance public schools effectively.
“Ron, your deep understanding and institutional knowledge of school finances — and I think also just the day-to-day operations in the district — you just do an outstanding job with that,” Vosberg said. “When you came to the district we were in kind of tough shape with our fund balance and over the years under your guidance we built that into a very comfortable position.”
“It’s been a tough few years on the financial side, and I can’t imagine what it would have been like to navigate the last few years had the previous 15 not been so incredibly wisely navigated,” Curran said. “As hard as the last few years were, it could have been so much worse.”
Keehn said she found an old Monroe Times article where Olson shared that he actually never wanted to work in education.
“I’m Argyle born and raised. I’m a small district person, and Monroe is big enough that it offers a lot of opportunities for our kids in our community via our schools, but we’re still small enough where our schools are still — for the most part — the center of our community,” Olson said.
After graduating from UW-Platteville with an accounting degree, the Argyle native was looking for jobs all over the place and ended up back home in Argyle. A few years later, he moved to Eagle River to run the numbers for the Northland Pines school district before returning to the southern half of the state.
“So it started out maybe by chance 30 years ago, and we are very fortunate that you’ve been in Monroe for 21 years,” Keehn said. “You came to our district when we were facing some financial challenges and you helped really rebuild our financial stability. We’re so incredibly grateful.”
Olson told the board he appreciated all the kind words, while not skipping the fact that tough decisions still remain to be made in the near-term.
“I appreciate all the kind words,” Olson said to the board. “Something I brought here is the need to work with people. Fortunately, we’ve always had a great relationship here and I just had to help foster and continue that — I didn’t have to build that. I know we’ve had a few tough years, but hopefully we can forge ahead and … continue with great success going forward.”
Filling his shoes
Curran mentioned how he had talked to a community member the previous weekend after Monday’s agenda had been posted, announcing Olson’s retirement. They asked Curran what the job entailed — was it basically an accountant’s role?
“No,” is all Curran could utter before collecting his thoughts. “Well, it’s like strategic advice, and then there’s a lot of, like, HR stuff, and then negotiations, and then the high school prep.”
Curran paused, then added, “I’m just going to have to wait for the job description because I can’t adequately summarize the range of hats that (Ron has) worn to make this district ‘go’ and make it great.”
Curran thanked Olson for giving the board and district ample notice of his intent to retire.
Among the hats Olson wears includes working with the buildings, grounds and food services teams.
“I’m not the expert in any of those areas in the sense that I help guide those areas and rely on their expertise to make sure it all goes well,” Olson added.
Retirement is a big life decision, Curran said, before thanking Olson for making it easier on the board by informing them of his decision with ample time to post the job and find a replacement.
“When I think of Ron, I think of navigating really hard decisions and hard situations in a way that makes it easier on other people. And that’s just how I’ve experienced you at every turn, so thank you, Ron, for all that you’ve done for the Monroe school district. We’ll enjoy the next few months with you,” Curran said.
Supt. Monroe said there is one side of him that is happy for Olson, and another side that understands the hiring process could make for headaches in its own right.
“Filling Ron’s shoes will be very difficult. From a professional side, it’s sad to see Ron go. On a personal note, (I’m) so happy that he’s gotten to this point in his career,” Supt. Monroe said.
“We are certainly going to miss you. It’s going to be very tough filling that position, but I want to wish you the very best in a long and happy retirement. And, uh, welcome to the good side,” Davis, a fellow retiree, quipped.