Carlton schools continue course toward consolidation

The Carlton school district is flirting with the possibilities of consolidation with Cloquet as discussion with Wrenshall has ebbed and flowed over the past few years. At the school board meeting Monday, there was some back-and-forth about how Carlton superintendent Gwen Carmen is approaching Cloquet. School board members Ann Gustafson and Jennifer Chmielewski said they thought the board agreed last month that it was going to devise a letter to send to Cloquet.

Instead, they heard this week that Carmen met with Cloquet superintendent Mike Carey recently. Carmen said she “conveyed the board’s interest in discussing the possibility of consolidating.” Carmen, responding to questions from Gustafson and Chmielewski about transparency in the process, said the meeting was informational only and nothing would move forward without board direction.

“This is a hot topic,” Chmielewski said. She said the board needed to discuss directives in any consolidation talks, and make sure everyone is aware of how the process will go forward.

Other board members said they didn’t have a problem with Carmen laying out the options with Cloquet. “You’re just gathering information,” board member Sue Karp said.

“Our discussions are not in any way ‘negotiations,’” Carmen wrote in a report to the board. “That would be the role of board members.”

Carmen said the Cloquet board was made aware of Carlton’s interest and she had planned to meet with Carey again in June. It wasn’t clear after Monday’s meeting if Carmen would need to wait for more clarity from the board before another discussion takes place. Carmen said she had planned to “discuss in greater detail the process of consolidation and how it potentially impacts staff and taxpayers.”

The Carlton board has not engaged with Wrenshall in recent months about consolidation. The two districts have agreed to pair up in football for next season. Carlton members said they would wait for the referendum results this month in Wrenshall. Now that the referendum failed, future steps for the Wrenshall district remain murky.

Wrenshall superintendent Kim Belcastro said the administration and board will take a break before deciding anything after the failed vote to pay for improvements at the school.

“The school board has not made any new decisions with moving forward yet,” she said. “I think there needs to be a little down time — a month or so — and then they will want to regroup.”

Both districts need to drill down into their current and projected budgets. Those discussions will take place in June, with committee meetings and regular meetings.