Cloquet needs 'compelling' reason for consolidation

Consolidation with the Carlton school district was not discussed during the Cloquet school board meeting Tuesday, but Cloquet schools superintendent Michael Cary confirmed that he expects to meet with Carlton superintendent Gwen Carman again soon.

They had an initial conversation after Carman reached out to him, and he asked for more details on what consolidation between Cloquet and Carlton would mean in terms of impact on faculty and taxes, he said.

“We would need to see a compelling reason that benefits Cloquet before we would move forward with any more conversations,” he said after Tuesday’s meeting, noting that he expects to meet with Carman in the next couple of weeks.

Tuesday’s meeting was light on business, but board members enjoyed two different presentations: the first by three members of the school’s Ripsaw Robotics team, and the second by the middle school art teachers and guest artist Sarah Agaton Howes regarding their recent sixth-grade project. (Read “Signs of Understanding” in the April 26 PKN or at http://www.pineknotnews.com.)

The robotics team shared details of the school’s first-ever FIRST robotics season, which attracted about 30 students; the team placed 37th out of 63 teams at regionals in Duluth and captured the Rookie All-Star Award, which earned them a trip to the FIRST Championship world robotic competition in Detroit. It was a huge learning experience and lots of fun, they said.

“Next year we are hoping to have nights where the public can come in and see what we’re all about,” junior Parker Deters told the board, as the kids stressed their plans to raise more money and get more students and mentors involved. “Maybe people want to see what it’s all about before committing to helping. We will never turn down a mentor. We can use all the help we can get.”

“Thank you guys for giving Cloquet schools the opportunity to do this,” freshman Lydia Stone told the board.

As the current school year winds down — the last day for classes in Cloquet was Thursday — superintendent Cary told school board members that the recent state legislative session brought good news for public schools, including Cloquet.

“It’s good they were able to provide some new money for education,” he said, explaining that the Legislature passed a 2 percent raise in state aid for each of the next two years. They also increased money to pay for special education.

Those two things were the big takeaway for schools, he said, but more details will emerge over the next weeks and months.

“The session wraps, then we start to get summaries from groups. Those are coming now,” he said, adding that the finance director for the Minnesota Department of Education will also be touring the state in a couple weeks to help school districts understand the key elements of the legislative session and how it will exactly affect schools.

In other matters Tuesday, the board expressed its thanks to the many retiring school district employees, including the following:

Eija Allen, CHS head secretary

Mary Brinkley, Churchill SPED paraprofessional

Steve Fairbanks, CHS social studies teacher

Sandra Hemsworth, AWD program assistant, Community Ed

MaryJane Lundberg, CMS family and consumer sciences teacher

Diane Mueller, CHS/CMS library media specialist

Robin Mullenix, CAAEP head secretary

Greg Oakes, Churchill school counselor

Karen Padgett, financial secretary, Central Admin

Janice Perttula, Churchill food service staff

Cathy Rikkola, Washington second-grade teacher

Sarah Sargent, CAAEP paraprofessional

Carol Sparring, Churchill food service staff

Katie Zack, program aide/assistant ECFE