MILTON — After devoting more than four decades to education, Milton School Superintendent Rich Dahman is reflecting on his career and how the profession has changed, as he gets ready to retire.
Dahman announced his retirement in early December, effective at the end of the 2025-26 school year.
Dahman came to the Milton schools in 2019 as the interim superintendent after the resignation of Tim Schigur and was hired permanently the following year. Prior to being hired in Milton, he was the superintendent in Medford, Wisconsin, from 2013 to 2017 and in Winona Area Public Schools in Winona, Minnesota from 2017 to 2019.
“I’ve really enjoyed working here,” Dah-man said, of Milton. “It’s a wonderful school district and an extremely supportive community.”
“We have an awesome staff across all of our schools and departments,” he continued, saying the decision to retire was a difficult one “in large part because I really enjoy what I do and get to work with some phenomenal people.”
Dahman grew up in Lake City, Minnesota, southeast of the Twin Cities. He earned his bachelor’s degree at what was then Mankato State University, in Mankato, Minnesota. Mankato State is now Minnesota State University. He later earned a master’s and a specialist degree from Mankato State.
He got his start in education in 1985 as a math teacher in St. Clair, Minnesota, where he was also a basketball coach.
“When I started as a teacher, I knew it was something I wanted to do as a career,” Dahman reflected, although “until you have that classroom of your own you don’t know what it’s going to look like.”
Looking back, “I remained as an educator for 40 years because I really enjoy what I’m doing. In all of my different roles, I enjoy being able to work with others to have a positive impact on students’ lives,” he said.
Dahman’s first jobs in administration were for the Mankato Area Public Schools, first as a high school assistant principal and then as a middle school principal. While a middle school principal, he earned his superintendent’s license.
Dahman admits that, as an administrator, he misses the interactions with students, staff and other teachers that he had daily as a teacher. As a “cup-filler,” he said makes a point to regularly go to each school building to intentionally make those connections. Milton has seven school buildings: four elementary schools, an intermediate school, a middle school and a high school
“This time of year, there’s always so many fun things happening. There’s a lot of concerts and winter programs,” Dahman said, offering opportunities to see students performing and to “touch base with parents as they attend those different activities.”
The job of teaching has changed over the decades, becoming “much more collaborative,” which requires a higher level of teacher commitment, Dahman said.
When he was starting out as a teacher, that wasn’t happening to the level it is today, if at all, he said. “I think that’s something our district here in Milton does a real good job of, building in time for staff to improve our work,” Dahman said, reiterating that “we really do have a phenomenal staff here. They’re not only talented at what they do, but they’re very dedicated at what they do.”
“And, I’m proud of where we are as a school district,” he continued. “I think our team has worked hard to position ourselves where we are, in a really good place moving forward as a school district.”
“Education is very much a people business. It really takes a strong team to educate kids and I’m going to miss that aspect the most — being a part of a team and just working together,” Dahman said.
Dahman said he doesn’t have a plan yet for how to spend his retirement years.
“I guess I’ll have a few months to figure that out,” he said.
