Wrenshall will entertain Carlton site

In the ongoing back-and-forth between school boards considering a merger between districts, the Wrenshall contingent unanimously agreed Monday to consider the South Terrace site in Carlton as a proposed one-site option with its neighboring district.

But, the Wrenshall board's latest formal letter opened the door for a tour of all three school buildings between the two communities. Previously, Carlton had agreed to reopen consolidation discussions provided the existing South Terrace was the only option for consideration.

"While we are open to one campus located at South Terrace, it would be fiscally irresponsible to take all other options off the table without comparing costs and considering how the other two buildings would be used or carefully decommissioned," the Wrenshall letter said.

The board approved its response letter without discussion. In addition to the existing elementary school at South Terrace, the Wrenshall School and Carlton High School are the other two buildings between the districts.

"In order for us to understand how South Terrace might be a great fit for a one-campus location, we also need a better understanding of the current school and your thoughts on how the campus might be designed," the new letter said.

The letter to Carlton's board also noted how the Wrenshall district has undergone significant building improvements "we would like to show you," and urged a tour of all three school sites.

The board also expressed concern about surplus buildings falling into the hands of private or charter schools.

"New competition for enrollment may hinder the strategic goals of a consolidated district," the Wrenshall letter said.

The Wrenshall board said it would await a response from Carlton and further discuss the topic at its work session at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 12.

Enrollment is up

Superintendent Jeff Pesta announced K-12 enrollment at 335 students for the first week of the new school year. It was good news, considering it came in above the 325 estimate used in the 2023-24 budgeting process. It means more state aid than anticipated will be coming into the district.

One class, in particular, stood out - a 25-student first grade.

"I'm recommending you consider adding staff for first grade," Pesta said, arguing that it's a critical, building block age for young learners, who would benefit from either added instruction or smaller class size.

The district normally offers one class per grade level up to the middle school years.

Students who get behind early in their learning careers can require remedial support throughout their education, Pesta said. Additionally, young families whose children are subjected to large class sizes may choose to leave the district, he added.

The board unanimously created an ad hoc committee, including one board member, principal Michelle Blanchard, and other staff, to recommend either dividing the class with another teacher, or some other alternative, such as hiring a reading specialist to work across multiple classes. The district has access to $181,000 in compensatory aid following the latest legislative session to help pay for the addition of a teacher. The hope was that the new committee would recommend a job posting prior to the next round of school board meetings, so a teacher could be hired as soon as possible this school year.

Grade enrollments were as follows: kindergarten 22, first 25, second 17, third 36, fourth 23, fifth 22, sixth 23, seventh 28, eighth 23, ninth 32, 10th 30, 11th 22, 12th 42.

Board denies payout

The Wrenshall school board unanimously decided Monday to not compensate its former business administrator Angela Lind with a payout for unused sick days.

Lind was not retained during $320,000 in budget cuts last school year, and the district has since contracted with the McGregor school district to receive assistance with budgeting and business needs.

The former business administrator had previously received payouts totaling $5,409 for unused vacation days and personal leave, per an at-will contract. The current budget had anticipated $14,505 worth of sick leave payouts to Lind, but a review of the at-will contract revealed the payout wasn't a requirement.

Lind, who has since been hired in the same position at the Carlton school district, requested the full amount for 402 hours of remaining sick leave, but the board, after much consideration, balked at making the payout.

"This is a lot of money," board member Ben Johnson said, arguing that there was a long wish list of things the financially struggling district needed. Other board members fell in line with the same thinking, citing responsibility to students and taxpayers.

Public input change?

The school board did a first reading of a new policy which would put public comment in advance of the start of school board meetings. Currently, public comment is an agenda item during board meetings. Visitors intending to address the board sign up prior to the meeting and are given 3 minutes to speak. The board members say they're opting to remove public comment from meetings, because they don't want falsehoods entered into the official minutes of meetings. In the policy, public comment would come a half-hour before the start of meetings.

Board members say they're following the lead of other school boards in the state. School boards across the country have been bombarded with speakers on topics such as books in libraries and curriculum choices. The new policy would not go into effect until a vote in three months.