Wrenshall, Carlton school boards to meet

The off-again, on-again consolidation discussions between the Wrenshall and Carlton school districts may be on again.

Wrenshall superintendent Kim Belcastro told board members at the Monday school board meeting that she and chair Matt Leveau would be meeting with their Carlton counterparts Thursday to come up with a date and an agenda for a joint meeting of both boards, which could happen as soon as July 8.

The neighboring small school districts have been discussing consolidation without ever reaching an agreement for decades, with pressure mounting from the public in recent years to find a joint path. Now, declining enrollment and aging buildings may provide the incentive to finally reach a compromise. Voters in both districts have rejected building referendums: once for Carlton by a 70 percent margin, and three times for Wrenshall.

Belcastro didn’t say exactly what would be on the agenda. The two districts have begun pairing and sharing in some sports, offering a combined cross-country team last year and voting for a combined football program to begin this fall.

“We’re going to come up with an agenda we can follow and maybe accomplish something,” Leveau said. Because both boards will attend, the meeting will be open to the public and posted as soon as it is scheduled, Belcastro said.

Belcastro also reminded board members that the district needs to complete a strategic plan with assistance from the Minnesota School Board Association, but suggested they hold off until the board meets with the Carlton school board.

Financial picture sound

At the start of Monday’s Wrenshall school board meeting, school finance director Angela Anderson informed the board that the proposed budget was $679 to the good after factoring in a 2-percent funding increase from the state of Minnesota.

But that didn’t include an order of 135 Chromebooks, a lease that the board ultimately approved at a cost of $12,000 for next year, leaving the district budget at a deficit of $11,370.

Belcastro also reported that student enrollment for next year is sitting at 366 students preK-12, after one out-of-district student left and one in-district student went back to a previous school district.

“The elementary school is sitting strong at 190, and we’re at 176 for the high school,” she said.

Next year’s budget also included the purchase of a new bus, to be financed over three years with a $20,000 grant in the first year, leaving the district an initial bill of $15,000. They had hoped to delay the purchase for a year but the bus was already ordered. On the bright side, it will mean a further decrease in the district’s bus repair budget which is down to an anticipated $27,000 from a high of $75,000.

Board member and facility committee chair Janaki Fisher-Merritt had no update from the committee for now — following last month’s failed referendum — but he expects to have a meeting in July.

“We’ll have to start coming up with a plan,” said Leveau.

In other matters, the board approved the hiring of Dan Rother as a full-time science teacher and Tim Rahkola as a full-time K-12 music and band teacher.