And then there were six.

Over the course of a nearly three-hour working session Monday, Carlton School Board members narrowed down a list of possible long-term options for the school district from 10 to six. After a couple months of long meetings with little progress, it was a Herculean achievement.

To start, Carlton board chair LaRae Lehto presented the board with strict rules of engagement, asking that each board member take turns and share his or her top four or five options with minimal explanation initially.

In the process, they nixed the most extreme options, including construction of...