Cards shown at school merger meeting

There was history. There was agreement. There were dull-as-unbuttered-toast moments. And, like a main event, the moment everyone had been waiting for - direct opinions from each school board member on the future of the Wrenshall and Carlton districts.

While there likely never has never been a joint meeting between the full boards before, it doesn't mean the two districts are on solid footing when it comes to consolidation, a notion that has fallen on the two small districts for decades.

The meeting Tuesday at Carlton's South Terrace elementary school was really a shot at getting the lay of the land, with both sides learning about how they are currently cooperating with programs for students and how their facilities might match with any possible merger.

But when the rubber hits four miles of road between the districts' two cities, the possibilities grow dimmer. Wrenshall members still want a school in their city, suggesting two sites. Some Carlton board members are leaning toward a one-school notion, with the preferred site at South Terrace.

In the end, members of both boards said simply meeting was a huge step, but it will be for naught - again - unless they choose to do the hard work.

"We really need to move forward," Wrenshall board chairman Matt Laveau said.

"It's good to see faces," said Carlton board member Tim Hagenah. He said there have been a lot of memos and gossip the past few years that he'd like to forget. "I would like to see something happen."

There are, of course, a lot of variables. Consolidations take time. Superintendents for both districts, Carlton's Gwen Carman and Wrenshall's Kim Belcastro, agreed that they can take three to four years to actually come to fruition. Whatever combination of building uses the two sides would agree on, all would need major rehabilitation work.

And then there is the newest factor in all of the talks, the possibility that Carlton County buys Carlton's middle- and high school property to enhance the neighboring courthouse and jail complex. That could leave the Carlton district without one of its two school buildings in as few as two school years.

Carlton's LaRae Lehto was quick to quash any rumors of the high school's eminent demise. "Our high school is not closing," she said.

The potential sale would leave Carlton in a difficult position. Without a school, and likely unable to raise funds for building one, it would likely be forced into an option with neighboring school districts, including Wrenshall.

That was just one part of the difficult equation of consolidation that would need to be hammered out.

One hour and 51 minutes into a scheduled two-hour meeting, board members from each district swapped opportunities to state what they think a consolidated district would look like as far as the facility configuration:

Deb Washenesky, Wrenshall

She would like a better sense from the community on what they want but said she envisions a high school in Wrenshall and an elementary in Carlton.

Sam Ojibway, Carlton

His only comment was that consolidation school operation all be under one roof.

Jack Eudy, Wrenshall

Citing the devastating impact of losing its school, Eudy said there has to be a building in use in Wrenshall, likely a high school.

Jen Chmielewski, Carlton

She supports a two-site option for now, with the use of temporary classrooms to speed up the transition. Without much elaboration, she said she'd like to put the question of a high school in the "hands of the county."

Michelle Blanchard, Wrenshall

She said the districts need to be frugal and use the buildings they have.

Sue Karp, Carlton

She would like to see a cost comparison between adding onto South Terrace versus fixing up the Wrenshall school. Wrenshall's Janaki Fisher-Merritt said that study had been done a few years ago, and it showed that fixing up the Wrenshall school to serve as a high school would cost 25 percent less than a one-campus option with an addition at South Terrace.

Warren Weiderman, Wrenshall

He supports a two-site option.

Tim Hagenah, Carlton

He said he understands the two-site option when it comes to cost savings in the short term. But in the long view, he said a one-site option is "the most feasible." He said South Terrace has more room for expansion than Wrenshall and the site is a natural fit for a K-12 school. "It's going to cost money either way," he said, and mentioned he'd also like to see residents have a say in what setup they'd like to see.

Janaki Fisher-Merritt, Wrenshall

He said he fully understands the benefits of a one-site option. Wrenshall has been saved several times during budget and staffing crunches by the flexibility one campus offers. Teachers can slide into positions, there are savings in administration, he said. But Fisher-Merritt alluded that Wrenshall would be his pick for one site and they could "use the elementary school (South Terrace) for something." He said two sites creates issues of division in the community as well as operational challenges, but any such configuration would have to include a school in Wrenshall.

Ann Gustafson, Carlton

While one site is preferable, she said "we are not at that point right now." She said her simple vision is to have a "great school district."

Matt Laveau, Wrenshall

He thinks a two-site option at the outset of any consolidation is the way to go. The cheapest option would be a high school in Wrenshall and an elementary in Carlton. In 20 years, if enrollment and budgets call for it, other configurations can be discussed, he said.

LaRae Lehto, Carlton

She said the greatest threat in Carlton is that the district is drastically losing students. More than half of the potential students in the district elect to go to other schools. Transfers into Carlton don't begin to make up for that. She said simple remodel isn't enough and the cost of a one-building solution isn't supportable by district voters. She would like to see more talk with districts in Carlton County about visions.

There was talk of a formal survey of residents in each district on what a consolidation would look like. Board members on each side said failed referendums and increasing deficit budgeting has constituents eager for a consolidation answer. Recently Carlton approved deficit spending of more than $500,000 for the 2019-20 school year while Wrenshall approved a deficit spend of just over $11,000.

Wrenshall's Blanchard compared the dance between the two districts to the sustainability of a dating relationship. "The visions have to be the same. The dance is over," she said. "This has to move forward."