Districts exchange letters on merger

During a break in consolidation committee meetings, Carlton and Wrenshall school boards have continued to negotiate via written communications.

The most recent letter came from the Carlton board May 14 in response to Wrenshall’s April 8 proposal to move the consolidation’s start date to July 2026. The Wrenshall board had pushed the date back from 2025 after learning the Carlton superintendent Donita Stepan’s contract runs through the 2025-26 school year. Wrenshall had previously stipulated it did not want any long-term contracts spilling over into consolidation.

Signed by board chair Julianne Emerson, the Carlton letter proposed “a new direction” that would see the two districts retain current administrative staff while remaining flexible on a start date.

“It is Carlton’s position that we honor the employees [administrative/supervisory] that we have and assign each of these people to these positions during an identified transition period, [two years] no matter the year of consolidation … The superintendent in place will make future hiring recommendations to the consolidated school board.”

As Wrenshall currently has a part-time superintendent whose contract is set to end before consolidation, the Carlton proposal would have Stepan making the hiring recommendations for teachers and other staff.

The Carlton board also invited the entire Wrenshall school board to meet for discussion July 8, prior to the Carlton work session scheduled for 6 p.m.

Wrenshall has yet to respond formally to the Carlton letter.

Marketing move

The Carlton school board approved $25,000 for marketing the school district.

“We saw this as a very good opportunity to work toward increasing our enrollment and … there is no better time to look at that,” said board chair Julianne Emerson.

Board member Laura Nilsen, although supporting the concept, wanted to know how the money would be spent. Emerson said items being considered included postcards, videos, banners, and a billboard on I-35. Nilsen urged the use of digital media as well.

In conjunction with that, Emerson spoke about the need to have on board a grant writer, although it was not clear if that would be a separate budget item. According to Emerson, great things are happening at Carlton, and, “We just want other people to know that,” she said.

In other matters Monday:

• Darrin Dufresne of solar energy company iDEAL Energies of Bloomington, Minnesota presented a plan to put a solar array to generate electricity on top of South Terrace elementary school.

“We are working with the Minnesota Department of Commerce for what is called the Solar for Schools grant program,” he said.

With grant money from the state of Minnesota, iDEAL Energies could put up the proposed power plant, which would save Carlton $296,000 in electrical costs, in the next 20 years, or more than $14,000 annually. “There’s no upfront costs [to the school district] at all,” Dufresne said.

Carlton benefits from the timing. A few years ago, Cloquet schools put up a similar solar array, but because it was an earlier grant program, only 20 kilowatts are produced there, compared to the 172.8 KW to be reaped at South Terrace.

The project was not formally approved at Monday’s meeting, but the five board members present (Ryan Leonzal was absent) expressed consensus to go forward, and that was all Dufresne needed to start preliminary work.

• Carlton students can go to Greece next year. Amanda Radke, Carlton’s student learning advisor, asked for and received approval for a student trip to Greece and Italy with a 24-hour ferry boat journey in between. The trip would use up about 10 days around the time of spring break next year. Although considered school-sponsored, students who wish to go will pay their own way. Cost is $4,449 per student and $5,299 for adults.

According to Radke, a trip like this fits into Carlton’s strategic plan. Benefits to students include “having a growth mindset, global perspective, personal development, and learning about yourself,” Radke said. “You learn about the world around you and how you have an impact on it.”