Earliest school pairing would be 2025

The soonest consolidation between Carlton and Wrenshall schools would become official is the 2025-26 school year.

That was the timeline shared during a Jan. 18 meeting of the Wrenshall school board. Specifically, consolidation could take place July 1, 2025 — the start of the calendar year for schools across Minnesota.

“Barring any emergency circumstances, that’s the earliest you could legally consolidate,” said Wrenshall superintendent Jeff Pesta. “You’re at the point now where … the next step is a commitment from the boards, which would be non-binding at first.”

Both Carlton and Wrenshall have been hamstrung by declining enrollments in recent years, causing a decrease in the amount of state funding both districts receive. Among other cost savings, consolidation would alleviate administrative costs by roughly halving the number of people in a combined district business office.

In December, following a tour of facilities in both districts by both boards, Carlton agreed to move forward with Wrenshall’s offer to consolidate, agreeing to start by exploring a merged high school at Wrenshall and combined elementary at South Terrace in Carlton.

Keenly aware of its own financial details following intensive budgeting around last year’s $320,000 shortfall, the Wrenshall board also agreed last week to split a $3,500 cost to get a financial analysis of the Carlton district. Both districts use Ehlers, of Roseville, Minnesota, as their financial advisor.

“In the spirit of trying to work together, I’d like to see if we could not only share the cost, but actually share the meeting and do a joint meeting of both boards and the public of both districts and present this [financial data] to the entire group,” Wrenshall board member Ben Johnson said.

The board agreed and newly appointed board chairwoman Mary Carlson was tasked with approaching Carlton about a joint session of the boards that would shed light on Carlton’s finances.

“You are very well aware of your financial information, what you need is theirs,” Pesta said.

Carlson affirmed this week that she was talking with Carlton board chair Julianne Emerson about an upcoming joint meeting as soon as February.

Consolidation between the districts was a popular topic at the Minnesota School Boards Association Leadership Conference this month, Carlson said.

“It was met with a lot of support,” Carlson said, referring to other public school districts in senate district 11. “One of the other board members said, ‘it’s about time we put the kids first in this and get it done.’”

The school boards association also was ”excited” and offered its continued support, Carlson said.

The pathway to consolidation in 2025 features a series of hurdles, including submission of the plan for approval by the Minnesota Department of Education, an agreement to reduce school board members, preparation of new district boundaries with the county auditor, public hearings as soon as this July, new labor agreements, posting of key administrative and at-will positions, and a binding vote in October.

“We really need to be sure it’s transparent,” Carlson said about the process.

A non-binding commitment by both boards would need to come as soon as March to initiate the 2025 timetable, Pesta said.

“There will always be bumps and hiccups,” Pesta said, “but there is nothing I can see that prevents two boards who want to do this from doing it.”

In other Wrenshall school district news:

• The board agreed to pay Esko school district $5,750 for 21 weeks to administer its community education programming. Wrenshall is without a community ed director following a resignation.

• The board spent 55 minutes Jan. 18 talking about its bus fleet, which is maintained by United Truck Body of Duluth. Owner Tim Herstad presented a lengthy examination of the condition of the district buses, and encouraged the board to pursue a new bus every two years, to ensure that none of seven buses is older than 14 years old. He recommended propane fueled buses, and the board agreed to pursue a $35,000 Environmental Protection Agency grant to help fund a new propane bus.

• The board agreed to contract with Carlton on a building and grounds supervisor at a cost of $60 per hour for 10 hours a week in Wrenshall.

• The board created a committee to investigate the use of solar technology at the school.

• A special meeting at 6 p.m. Monday will address the end of negotiations on a teachers contract, as well as set a timeline for a new full-time superintendent. Pesta’s contract is up this summer, and he was hired part-time on an interim basis in order to help the district, and mostly new school board, get on firmer financial footing.

• During its annual organizational meeting Jan. 18, the board appointed Carlson as board chairwoman and Eric Ankrum as vice chairman. Johnson will remain as board clerk and Misty Bergman was appointed treasurer. The board also agreed to a $1,000 annual stipend for board members.