Pokornowski accepts activities director job

Carlton and Wrenshall have completed the plan to combine all competitive activities with the merger of robotics and speech for next year, Carlton superintendent John Engstrom announced Monday, following the debut of combined spring sports this year.

Activities such as theater and prom will have a different approach, he said. Engstrom explained that each school puts on one or more plays and that they should be kept in place, “but also open them up to the student body of each.” The decision whether to combine prom and dances went to the student councils.

Engstrom also announced Brent Pokornowski has agreed to be Carlton’s new activities director on Monday. Pokernowski is currently the Carlton/Wrenshall football coach, having taken that position in 2022. Katie Moench was the latest director. Pokornowski’s appointment is still subject to approval by the board, which will have its first opportunity to do so next week.

“I’m excited,” Engstrom said. “He’s going to be super-organized, super-focused, super-committed.”

South Terrace principal and soon-to-be superintendent Donita Stepan provided more insight into next year’s anticipated dual-track curriculum, which will feature Project Based Learning as one of the tracks. Stepan emphasized that a traditional curriculum will still be available, but she anticipates that “over time, most kids are going to gravitate towards the new curriculum.” She also mentioned adding “exploratory options,” which would be short courses, perhaps seven lessons in all, on wide-ranging subjects that the students could choose and would be offered based on what teachers are passionate about. She offered possible examples like hockey officiating, citizenship subjects, or computer coding.

Talk of a revamped curriculum led to a discussion of fiscal issues and, specifically, the operating levy which will lapse without a renewal by voters in November. Board chairwoman Julianne Emerson reminded everyone that it is May already and a decision about the levy and whether to ask for an increase needed to be discussed soon. An application needs to be completed by August in order to have the question on the November ballot.

Engstrom indicated that the legislature was currently considering some relief, which would allow an operating levy renewal to be passed by the school board alone instead of going to the voters. But then there is the question of an increase. Not ruling that out, Engstrom said, “It’s an open question.”

Other business

• Engstrom noted the secondary school would need a new boiler. “Fortunately, they’re giving them away,” he said (meaning the opposite). He estimated later a new boiler could run the school district more than $100,000. Fortunately, money for that can come from sources set aside for facilities maintenance and is separate from the General Fund, which is used to pay salaries and directly affects the bottom line.

• Engstrom reported that he met with Fond du Lac Tribal leaders regarding a previous incident involving an alleged threat against a student, later calling it a “frank, but open and productive discussion,” which centered on “how we can do better.”

Last month members of the public, including many Fond du Lac members, filled the meeting room to protest what was thought by some to be lax discipline given to a white student after an encounter with an American Indian student. During Monday’s meeting, Engstrom reiterated that the disciplinary action was correct.

“Personally, I still believe the way things were handled… and the follow up was on point commensurate with the facts as we understood [them].”

He added that the district is open to doing more in restorative practices, but that privacy of the students must be maintained and asked that adults involved follow appropriate procedures.