Cloquet school board rejects HR specialist posting, will repost facilities director after divided vote

The Cloquet Public School District School Board debated whether to add a human resources specialist to central office staff or repost a vacant facilities director position and, after a roll‑call vote, declined to post the HR job.

Superintendent Dr. Michael Carey opened the discussion during the Aug. 11 meeting by summarizing district staffing needs and a proposal to use newly available Northern Lights Academy (NLA) funds and other savings to create an HR specialist position. Carey said the HR role would centralize recruiting, benefits administration, leave management and compliance work the central office currently distributes across several staff members.

The debate centered on workload, cost and operational risk. Business Manager Candice Nellis reviewed projected salary-and-benefit ranges she and Carey had researched; she told the board a fully loaded HR hire would cost roughly $97,000 to $110,000 depending on benefit elections and that NLA had agreed to provide about $43,000 toward HR functions. Carey and Nellis said some HR-related tasks now fall to multiple central-office staff and that new state requirements (including paid family leave and other changes) would increase workload this year.

Board members and staff discussed alternatives. Bill Broward, the district technology support specialist, and other speakers outlined how the district already is reallocating duties after recent administrative reductions. Broward and the superintendent also reviewed a separate proposal that had added stipends for two level‑2 IT staff and an outside technology vendor (TechCheck) to assist during a transition. Carey told the board TechCheck’s one‑year contract costs roughly $40,000 this year but that much of that would be eligible for E‑rate federal reimbursement (about 70%), reducing the long‑term district expense.

Public commenter William Bauer urged caution about increasing demands on existing employees without commensurate compensation, saying lean staffing and rising responsibilities risk losing experienced support staff.

Votes at a glance: The board approved an agenda addendum to accept donations from Community Memorial Hospital (equipment or cash up to $150,000) by voice vote. It then voted on whether to post an HR specialist position: the roll‑call vote failed. After the failed motion, the superintendent said he would repost the facilities director position, which had been vacant; that reposting was described as an administrative next step rather than a board motion.

During the working session and regular meeting board members aired concerns about timing and budget risk. Several board members argued the district should postpone creating a new administrative position while still implementing a temporary lead district custodian to cover facilities tasks in the near term. Others said the district has operated with a comparatively small central office and that some neighboring districts of similar size keep dedicated HR, facilities and technology directors.

Board members also discussed compensation equity. Carey and Nellis explained the proposed IT stipends — $12,000 for one lead level‑2 technician and $6,000 for the second technician — were designed to remain within an earlier budgeted $22,000 pool (which included $10,000 originally set aside for occasional outside hourly support). The lead district custodian stipend under discussion was $4.30 per hour; Carey walked the board through how adding stipend amounts affects hourly rates for custodial and IT staff compared with current salary steps.

The board’s formal actions on personnel and related items continued later in the meeting. While the HR posting failed on the roll call, the board approved a separate addendum to accept Community Memorial Hospital’s donation (equipment or cash) up to $150,000, approved numerous consent items (calendar updates, snow removal request for quotes, community‑education pay adjustments and an information‑technology memorandum of understanding that included the extra‑duty stipends), and directed the superintendent to repost the facilities director vacancy per the district’s standard process.

Carey and Nellis emphasized the district would continue operating with interim coverage: the board approved posting a temporary lead district custodian to fill immediate operational needs until a longer‑term solution is in place.

The district also heard concerns about a proposed 0.4 FTE leave for a CTE teacher, Michelle Wick; board members and administrators said the leave could reduce course offerings this year. A motion on that leave ultimately failed. The board approved a one‑year medical leave for middle school teacher Angela Besti and a one‑year leave for paraprofessional Anna Wilkinson. The board also waived second and third readings of several policy updates required by changes in state law.

Superintendent Carey closed the meeting by noting auditors will begin the fiscal 2025 audit the week of Aug. 25 and by congratulating teacher Kim Broman on selection as a Fulbright U.S. teacher.

Ending: After the roll call defeat of the HR posting, the superintendent said he would repost the facilities director position (a vacancy already budgeted for 2025‑26) and pursue hiring through the district’s normal posting, screening and interview timeline.