As a taxpayer and parent who sends her children to the Carlton School District, I am glad to hear that school board is waiting to commit to the selling off of the high school to the county.
With Wrenshall’s three failed referendums, Carlton’s failed referendum, the continuing talks of the utility tax payback, and the fact that legislation needs to be changed for a consolidation to even be an option, folks are leery of it really happening. The students in Carlton will still need a school to go to if everything doesn’t work out with consolidation.
Unless she has a Plan B of building a new school if consolidation doesn’t work, I find it irresponsible for Mrs. Chmielewski, one of our school board members in Carlton, to be so willing to sell the high school no matter if consolidation happens or not. She may not find that an issue, as she does not send her children to the Carlton School District, even though she is a member on the school board, but there are many of us who do see it as problematic. She and her children will not have to worry about having a school building to go to. Mine will and so will many others.
I appreciated the cautious nature in which most of the board is taking. It is my children’s future and all the other students who parents send them to our district they are making decisions for and they need to have thoughtful consideration for all the students who will be affected, whether it impacts their family or not.
A sale to the county would be great if the students have another building to attend school; however, the school board members should be putting the need of the Carlton School District students first. That is what they were elected to do.
