Carlton superintendent departing when contract ends next year

Carlton superintendent Donita Stepan informed the school board on Monday she will not seek renewal of her contract when it expires at the end of June 2026.

"I understand the district may be exploring the possibility of transitioning to a part-time superintendent role in the future, which does not align with my goals," Stepan said in an email to the Pine Knot News. "To provide ample time for planning, I wanted to communicate my decision early, allowing the district to thoughtfully consider its next steps moving forward."

Board chair Laura Nilsen said after the meeting that there has been no discussion about moving to a part-time superintendent, but she admitted the idea was likely to be considered as Carlton looks at more cost cutting.

"Serving the Carlton community and its schools has been an honor and privilege," said Stepan in her written report.

Without a renewal, Stepan's last day at Carlton will be on June 30, 2026. Superintendents typically are offered three-year contracts, with Stepan just a little more than halfway through the current one.

A number of superintendent positions are open in the region, including Barnum, Moose Lake and Wrenshall, along with nearby McGregor and Proctor. Wrenshall started its search early to get ahead of other schools. (See page 3 for the latest news on the Wrenshall superintendent search.)

Stepan's term is characterized by bold, if controversial initiatives. Among them were the switch to a four-day school week, and a merger discussion with Barnum while the district was in consolidation talks with Wrenshall. Even those immediately opposed admitted the Barnum discussion was not a bad idea to have and could be considered after the Wrenshall merger is settled. Stepan started out in Carlton as principal of South Terrace Elementary in the 2022-23 school year, then became part-time superintendent with elementary principal duties in July 2023, before being hired as full-time superintendent of the school district in 2024.

The subject of consolidation came up early in the evening, with first-year board member Dan Solarz making a motion to amend the agenda to include a discussion of the letter from Wrenshall asking to resume merger talks. The motion died for a lack of a second. Board chair Laura Nilsen thought it unwise to add it to the agenda at that time because the public was not told that the matter would be discussed.

Stepan agreed. After the meeting she said, "That's a big item ... you're going to be talking about consolidation, and people [wouldn't have known] that was on the agenda."

Board member Ryan Leonzal asked that the issue be added to the Feb. 3 working session.

The board also approved a resolution directing the administration to make recommendations for reductions in programs and positions. In reality, the same resolution is approved every year around this time, even when no reductions are made. This year, however, cuts are going to happen, Stepan warned.

"I'm very nervous about revenue streams coming in," she said, citing increased special ed cost of 9 percent and a potential decrease in state aid for special ed, plus impact aid - federal dollars connected with Indian lands - also decreasing.

Stepan alerted the board to personnel reductions. "Seventy percent of your budget is salaries," she said, "and when you've got contracts, you can't do a lot with that ... so you're cutting positions unless you're raising class sizes."

The other challenge to be addressed is building maintenance. Last month, the board hired Integrated Construction Services (ICS) to list and prioritize building needs after an inspection by their experts. Meanwhile, the district's insurance company did their own walk-through and identified several critical areas that need to be fixed immediately in order to have insurance in 2025.

"The problem is some of it is electrical and we really don't want to do it until August [when there are no students in the building]," Stepan said.

If the insurance company will not allow a delay, Carlton will have to get temporary insurance from another source. This could result in a higher cost for insurance, or higher deductibles, or both. Stepan reported that head custodian Scott Bodin has already solicited bids for the work which will be examined by the facilities committee at its next meeting.