Budget cuts coming for Cloquet schools

The Cloquet school board meeting turned into a mini science fair Monday, with students taking turns explaining a host of projects examining everything from lake water, to study and sleep habits, to using traditional indigenous cures to solve modern medical issues.

After that, it was time to get down to business.

With spring break coming up next week, superintendent Michael Cary said the administration team is close to completing its budget proposal, to be presented at a board work session April 8, including staffing cuts. The board won’t take action on the budget until a special meeting on April 12.

He warned the board that this year’s budget is complicated, because schools must try to avoid cutting tenured (versus probationary) teachers. That can mean moving teachers between jobs to keep from laying off a tenured person.

“The proposal we’re going to put forward has a very complicated set of shifts and moves,” he said, noting that any changes could cause a “wild domino effect.”