Q&A with newest school board members

When Wrenshall voters made wholesale changes to the makeup of the district’s school board during the November election, their mandate was clear: end the infighting and put the struggling district back on track.

The three first-time electees, Eric Ankrum, Mary Carlson and Ben Johnson, were scheduled to be sworn in during the first meeting of the year late Wednesday.

But before then, the Pine Knot asked the newcomers about a series of issues, including the district’s struggling enrollment and finances, the search for a new superintendent, and the possibility of further partnerships with Carlton given that the neighboring districts were set to combine sports and other extracurricular activities beginning in spring.

The newly installed board members said they worked together to formulate the following responses:

Question: Now that Wrenshall has a new school board, what are your immediate hopes and expectations for 2023?

Answer: Immediately, we need to turn our attention to restoring the community’s trust in the school board and the Wrenshall School. This process has already begun as we have started to develop professional relationships with school staff and teachers with the intention of creating achievable goals for the school. We also need to launch a superintendent search and focus on solving the budget crisis.

Q: The previous board set in motion $300,000 in budget cuts necessary to right-size the district. It seems that small districts, without economies of scale, are vulnerable to swings in enrollments more than larger ones. Do you think about that, and what solutions could there be in terms of lobbying for better small district protections?

A: Smaller districts do feel enrollment swings more than larger districts, as it has a larger (financial) effect on our district than losing a student in a bigger district. We need every single person reading this to call or email your state representatives and senators. Minnesota has a massive ($17.6 billion) budget surplus while schools across the state — large and small — are facing massive budget cuts. Our lawmakers need to hear that this is important to the people of Minnesota. Our students need extra support coming out of distance learning (during the pandemic), and budget cuts will only make it more difficult to catch students up.

Q: Superintendent Kim Belcastro is set to retire, while offering to stay on in some capacity through the remainder of the school year. A new superintendent search seems likely at some point this year. What is your sense of a direction for that position, and how important will that be?

A: The new board will likely immediately announce a superintendent search, as Kim has announced her plans to retire in January. We are looking forward to finding a candidate that will excite and engage the community. The best fit for the district will have a strong handle on finances, a focus on encouraging academic success and will support our amazing staff. The right person is going to ensure that the best days of the Wrenshall district lay ahead.

Q: The comprehensive activities cooperative with Carlton begins in spring. Some have said it’s a path to even greater cooperation and maybe even consolidation. What does the activities co-op mean for the two communities?

A: We are excited by the renewed cooperation of the districts. With time, we hope it’ll prove to members of both districts that our schools are stronger together. Consolidation has been long talked about in these communities. Right now, we will focus on collaboration and see where that leads us.