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Board approves one-year .8 FTE leave for Cloquet CTE instructor Michelle Wicker
Summary
The school board granted a 0.8 (80 percent) leave of absence for one year to CTE instructor Michelle Wicker after discussion about program continuity and staffing challenges; the district said retaining Wicker part time is preferable to hiring a new instructor.
The Cloquet Public School District board voted on Aug. 25 to approve a one-year .8 FTE leave of absence for career and technical education instructor Michelle Wicker.
Superintendent Dr. Michael Carey and school administrators told the board they prefer to keep Wicker at .8 if possible because of the specialized skills and equipment used in the CTE program. Steve (district administrator) said a .8 arrangement would allow the program to continue without losing class offerings and that replacing Wicker with a full‑time newcomer would present a steep learning curve for equipment‑heavy courses.
Wicker told the board she had notified principals in July that the leave was a possibility while she pursued family needs and that she preferred a leave to resigning. “My whole heart is in this school,” Wicker said, describing years of work building the program and saying she did not want to leave students or the district.
Administrators estimated that between 68 and 75 students were scheduled to participate in Wicker’s classes in the first semester and said the district could combine some sections and use the media center on days Wicker must supervise job sites to avoid cancelling offerings. The administration said an immediate hire for a full‑time replacement was unlikely to provide the same continuity and that training a new instructor would take considerable time.
Leanne moved the motion to approve the .8 FTE leave; David Italia seconded. By voice vote the motion carried.
Superintendent Carey and the high‑school administrator said the district will monitor program delivery and aim to restore full time status when feasible. The board and administrators emphasized the leave is for one year and that Wicker has indicated a desire to return to full time at the earliest opportunity.
