Consolidation talks broke down before they even began

With the Carlton school district’s declining enrollments, falling test scores and budget deficit, the clock is winding down on the opportunity to save the Carlton schools. There is nothing like opportunity lost to cast a light on the Carlton school board’s approach to the recently proposed and abandoned consolidation discussions with Wrenshall. It was painful to watch.

Last September, by a 5-1 vote, the Carlton school board sent a letter to the Wrenshall board inviting a discussion on consolidation. “We are making this request without assumptions or prerequisites” the letter read. “We are prepared to enter these discussions with sincerity … ” it further said. These two statements established the genuine nature of the Carlton board’s intentions. The letter also expressed “We also hope you will support pursuing these discussions under the direction of a neutral facilitator … ”

In the following months, “clarifying” emails and letters were exchanged. Both districts wanted to wait for their new boards to be seated. Wrenshall offered to meet and speak directly with the Carlton board. In mid-January the new Carlton board chair asked for clarification: What would be discussed? Would other Wrenshall board members be present? What would be the format? Would this be a presentation or a dialogue? Having needlessly complicated a simple, direct exchange, Carlton then upped the ante as well, stating they “strongly support” using a neutral facilitator rather than simply “hoping for” as they stated in the September letter. This seems like a prerequisite to any negotiations.

Wrenshall wants to find common ground with Carlton before bringing in any facilitator. Carlton wants to know what Wrenshall’s expectations of common ground might be; Wrenshall effectively responded with, “Let’s get together and discuss it.” Around and around it went.

Then, Carlton board vice chair Ann Gustafson offered another motion Jan. 28 to communicate Carlton’s “desire to use a neutral facilitator to continue consolidation discussions.” But in Carlton board chair Lehto’s Jan. 30 letter, the “hope” of Sept. 17 and “desire” of Jan. 28 subtly morphed into: “The Carlton School Board would like to re-affirm our request to enter into consolidation discussions with the Wrenshall Board, under the direction and leadership of a neutral facilitator.”

Finally, seemingly on her own, Carlton superintendent Carman pulled the plug on the talks before they even began, asserting in her article in the Pine Knot News that “it is clearly established that the Wrenshall Board is not interested in developing a consolidation plan with Carlton …” Later, in the Carlton Community News, she said that a letter from the Wrenshall board chair on Feb. 20 rejected the Carlton board’s proposal for professionally facilitated consolidation talks.

That February letter actually says: “If the Carlton School Board is interested in further discussing possibilities for a two-site consolidation … the Wrenshall School Board would be willing to do so.”

Through all of this, the Carlton board has focused not on finding common ground, but on an unacceptable prerequisite to any negotiation: a “neutral facilitator.” In doing so, they lost any claim to sincerity and broke whatever good faith they may have had with Wrenshall. The Carlton superintendent’s unilateral action to terminate consolidation discussions with Wrenshall fairly begs the question to the Carlton school board, “Who is in charge here?”

Was this an opportunity lost? No, it was an opportunity squandered by Carlton leadership. When smoke and mirrors replace vision and leadership, the mere four miles between our two communities are obscured and appear to stretch to infinity.

Timothy Soden-Groves is a resident of the Carlton School District who ran for school board last fall. He also served on the committee of Carlton Community Advisors last year.

FYI

Form your own opinion on this issue. Find the complete exchange of Carlton and Wrenshall consolidation letters and emails from September 18, 2018 to February 20, 2019 on the Carlton County Common Ground Facebook page. You may also request pdf documents of this exchange from [email protected].