Boards create consolidation committee

Aiming at consolidation as soon as the 2025-26 school year, the Carlton and Wrenshall school districts have formed a joint committee to lead the process. The consolidation committee will meet regularly along with additional monthly joint sessions of the full boards.

Wrenshall board chair Mary Carlson shared details Wednesday of an informal meeting between the districts held this week.

“I had the opportunity to sit down with their chairperson and the superintendent of Carlton and we had a fantastic first meeting,” Carlson said during a Wrenshall board work session. “That’s where we decided to create this committee, so we can continue to push this consolidation effort forward.”

Days and times of the committee and joint meetings were still under consideration.

The committee will feature the superintendents of both districts, along with board chairs and vice chairs, meaning Julianne Emerson and Sam Ojibway for Carlton and Carlson and Eric Ankrum for Wrenshall.

The informal meeting between the districts yielded a series of ground rules, including approaching consolidation in good faith by putting students first, remaining transparent with residents, relying on expert, verified information versus the rumor mill, and remaining positive.

“If you know my heart,” Carlson said, “you know positivity is really important.”

In addition to the numerous steps confronting the districts to make consolidation a reality, Carlson acknowledged there will be bumps, even setbacks, along the way.

“We are going to keep it positive and think the best of our neighbors,” she said.

Both districts have agreed to proceed with one athletic director beginning next year, since extracurricular activities are already cooperative. Additionally, Carlton officials asked Wrenshall if they wanted to share superintendent Donita Stepan beginning this summer.

Wrenshall part-time superintendent Jeff Pesta is done at the end of June, and the board agreed last month to pursue an full-time intern superintendent, who would be mentored by a licensed superintendent.

Following a discussion during the work session, that remains Wrenshall’s intent. Board members said they needed someone full-time in their building not only to marshal consolidation, but also to be a day-to-day presence during the school year.

“I appreciate their intent,” Ankrum said. “But that doesn’t change our conversation (from last month).”

“We need somebody full-time here for us and our situation,” board member Misty Bergman said. “We need a body here to keep us moving forward.”

If Wrenshall cannot recruit an intern superintendent, board members said they’d reconsider sharing.

“It’s nice to know we have a backup,” Bergman said.

Wrenshall board settles with teachers

The Wrenshall school board voted unanimously Jan. 29 to ratify the district’s contract with teachers. While teachers didn’t get as large an increase in pay as they wanted, the board’s negotiation team, led by board member Alice Kloepfer, agreed to be creative, ensuring class size caps, which vary by grade. The caps on class size put less pressure on teachers. Earlier this school year, the board approved the hiring of a second first-grade teacher after class size hit 25.

“They’re going to be able to provide that quality education they long for while appealing to the public as well,” board chair Mary Carlson said. “This is really fantastic news for our kids, who will benefit from it.”

Also last month, the board approved the sale of $300,000 in bonds at a 3.1-percent interest rate. The bonds will be paid back by the end of the summer, and give the district ample funding to pay bills as it awaits state aid payments. Districts are paid state aid on a per-pupil basis. Last year, the board borrowed, and subsequently paid back, $500,000 during what was an even more stressful time financially.