Carlton looking at school options

The Carlton school board voted Monday night to hire a company

to provide construction cost estimates on transforming South Terrace Elementary into a facility that could serve three more grades, up to grade 8, or serve all students through 12th grade.

The move comes as the board has discussed its options the past month since state funding fell through this year for a consolidation with Wrenshall.

The South Terrace studies won’t be new to Carlton taxpayers. The district did similar studies leading up to a failed referendum in 2017 to expand the elementary and build a new high school.

While a consolidation with Wrenshall isn’t off the table, Carlton board members have certainly indicated they are frustrated with the neighboring district.

The districts diverged in recent weeks as Carlton indicated it would like to keep any debts acquired before a consolidation with the taxpayers in the original districts. Wrenshall board members have insisted that the debts be joined and spread out over the new consolidation tax base.

It remains possible that state money could be passed through the next legislative session.

The board on Monday agreed to use a company that has done work on South Terrace before, InGensa. It indicated that the bulk of the cost study would be done at no cost. It will charge the district $4,500 for concept plans that could be completed by the end of the year.

Asking district residents again for money to increase capacity at South Terrace remains a longshot. Board members have other options on the table, including releasing students in grades 6-12 to another district, such as Cloquet. Another option would be to dissolve the district altogether.

A surprise in Wrenshall

After predicting a budget deficit for the current year earlier in 2020, the Wrenshall school district will likely have $40,000 to $50,000 surplus. It will present its audit and have a truth-in-taxation meeting on Dec. 9. In accepting an amended budget earlier this year, the school board braced itself for a deficit of more than $180,000.

Business manager Angie Anderson told the board this week that there are several factors that erased the deficit:

• A grant came through awarding the district $20,000 to replace older diesel buses with cleaner models.

• Special education funding was budgeted conservatively, Anderson said, and came in $35,000 higher.

• The district received a rural education grant that was $11,0000 more than expected.

• Other savings came in lower health insurance costs and lower classroom and transportation costs due to Covid-19 restrictions.

“We will take it when we can get it,” superintendent Kim Belcastro said of the surplus. The board expects its overall fund balance to stay with guidelines it set to keep a “rainy day” fund for the district and to adhere to state budgeting rules.