Consolidation crush is on for Carlton, Wrenshall school boards

There will be a flurry of meetings in the next two months as school boards in Wrenshall and Carlton continue to explore a consolidation of the districts. After joint meetings this summer with the full boards, members are moving in the direction of a single district with buildings in Carlton and Wrenshall, known as the two-site option.

This week, committees from both boards met to discuss needs at the current schools should the school populations be merged.

There are several state mandates that are pushing the boards along in the complicated process. There are 11 meetings planned between Sept. 23 and Nov. 14 to allow for public input, board discussion and, ultimately, approvals. What looms is a filing deadline with the Minnesota Department of Education for a “review and comment” that spells out the districts’ plans and puts a monetary figure on the cost of consolidation. Once that is filed, the districts can lobby for state funding toward the merger through the state legislature when it convenes in February. The schedule could mean a referendum vote put to district residents on Feb. 12.

While referendums have failed in both districts recently, district officials are hoping consolidation — which should come with state aid for improvements — will turn the tide.

Wrenshall superintendent Kim Belcastro said she’s been “amazed” by the public support of the consolidation. She hopes it leads to a successful future referendum vote.

The meeting this week dealt with rough needs at South Terrace Elementary should it be turned into a preschool-through-fifth-grade facility, and the Wrenshall school should it become the high school. It hasn’t determined where middle school students would go, though board members on Monday leaned toward Wrenshall because of closer proximity to resources from the high school. South Terrace currently serves students in preschool through fifth grade. The Wrenshall school serves all grades. Carlton Middle/High School near downtown Carlton would be eliminated and likely swallowed by Carlton County as it looks to expand its jail facility next door.

Should the districts consolidate, student population figures would mean three sections in all grades. The enrollment would be 803 students, or about 60 students in 14 classes.

The districts are working with designers and architects from ARI in Duluth in assessing needs through the new configuration. Katie Hildenbrand from ARI took committee members through each school. It wasn’t clear how much classroom space would need to be added as parts of the schools are repurposed. ARI will have a clearer plan, “a graphic look at buildings and the (costs),” Hildenbrand said, at the next committee meeting, scheduled for 6 p.m. Sept. 23 in Wrenshall.

Board members said they want to do things right in a consolidation and not have to go to voters for more money in a few years. They were assured that the needs ARI is looking at aren’t over the top, and cover basic needs.

South Terrace

ARI said the Carlton building would need to expand its cafeteria and kitchen to accommodate more students. That could mean the current “cafetorium,” a gym that also serves as an eating space for students, could become something else. It could mean a new gym.

Bathrooms would need to be upgraded for more students.

Community education would remain, as well as early childhood education. Updates are needed in administrative space and in securing the building and making outside traffic areas safer.

The playground would need updating.

Technology improvements could be made to the library and more lab space created for arts and science classes.

Both Carlton and Wrenshall have limited fields for sports. It hasn’t been decided which school would host a football field and possible new track around it.

Both schools also have no, or limited, performance spaces.

Both schools have “envelope” needs, items such as roofing, heating and ventilation and surface upkeep.

Wrenshall

ARI says the plan to convert a former bus garage into a trade-school space might be scrapped and a new space created. Hildenbrand said the building needs significant repairs and is too far from the main school. It would also look at expanding the concept of trades education from skilled labor to include nursing, arts, culinary and lab teaching.

The high school would need to add two full gyms and make improvements to locker room and exercise areas.

Decisions would need to be made on the now-defunct pool — whether to upgrade it or convert the area for learning space.

Updates are needed in security and in “wayfinding” and accessibility around a building with multiple additions made to it.

Once the ideas gel after the Sept. 23 committee meeting, there will be a full school board joint meeting at 6 p.m. on Sept. 30 at South Terrace. Board members expect to have firm dollar figures to discuss at that meeting. Plans would be fine-tuned through the regular board meetings in each district in mid-October.

Four public meetings are planned in late October for the public to weigh in, each beginning at 6 p.m. The first will be Oct. 21 in Wrenshall. Another will be at South Terrace Oct. 24. Another is scheduled for Oct. 28 at Sawyer Community Center. The final public meeting would be in Wrenshall October 29.

Votes on whether or not to send the final building and costs plan to the Minnesota Department of Education would be held by the school boards at separate special meetings on Nov. 12. The MDE could then allow for a referendum in February. It’s doubtful that a full consolidation would occur by the 2020-21 school year due to the time needed for refurbishing and construction. Belcastro said a partial agreement could be reached, such as pairing all sports for next year.