Superintendent: Hire someone for my job

Carlton superintendent John Engstrom surprised school board members Monday when he recommended they not renew his contract in June. Instead he recommended they make South Terrace principal Donita Stepan part-time superintendent and keep her as principal of the elementary school. High school principal Warren Peterson would be asked to increase his hours and days as part of the plan.

“From where we were four years ago … this would represent a total savings of around 40 percent,” Engstrom told board members during its committee of the whole meeting.

Reaction from the board was both positive and concerned.

“Wow, [that’s a] bombshell, because I know that each of you work hard in what you are doing,” said board member Sue Karp.

Board member Laura Nilsen worried about overwork.

“I don’t want you to get burned out,” she said while mentioning all the programming Stepan was responsible for at South Terrace.

Principal Stepan said she has delegated many of the tasks at South Terrace and worked on building capacity. “The teachers have really stepped up,” she said, adding that she is ready for the new challenge.

“It’s definitely going to be a big job, but we’re the size of school district where it makes sense,” Stepan said later.

Board chair Julianne Emerson observed that the board had to be realistic.

“We were very lucky to have John here,” she said, but later added, “We are very excited about what Donita brings to the table as well.”

Stepan came to Carlton last summer after two years as superintendent in Thief River Falls. She was a superintendent candidate for a host of openings across the state last spring, making the final cuts in many of those. She told the Pine Knot in June that she was looking forward to being back home in Sturgeon Lake and was done moving for jobs.

As part of earlier budget reductions, Engstrom had taken a pay cut, but remained optimistic about the district’s future. Engstrom started at Carlton in July 2020, initially for a one-year contract, but stayed. “There’s a lot of good structure here,” he said.

Other matters

Also Monday, Emerson discussed goals, among them enrollment stabilization. Led by Stepan, the district advisory council has been charged with making a strategic plan based on Carlton remaining a K-12 school, and determining the size of the new operating levy that must be put in front of voters in the next election. When complete, the strategic plan must go to the finance committee and be prepared for action by the board by April 17 in order to have an operating levy referendum ready in time for a vote on Nov. 7.

School districts, particularly smaller ones, are losing pupils and the state aid that comes with them. Nilsen asked for more detailed information on student numbers. She wanted to know which grade levels were losing students, and how many children are living in Carlton and attending elsewhere. Engstrom promised to get that information.

The superintendent also summarized his views on the state funding picture, which will not be certain until the legislature finishes its work this term. He hoped for adequate increases, saying he had heard proposals of 4 percent increase in state aid the first year and 2 percent the next. He observed that inflation for the last two years totaled 14 percent, wiping out any increases from previous years.

The other topic discussed was that of a nonvoting student representative on the board. Engstrom mentioned that student reps are eligible for a scholarship. School board members generally approved of the idea of additional representation from students.

The board meets next on Tuesday, Feb. 21, which is when the school board has its first opportunity to take action on the proposed changes.