ELY – As school board members here consider facilities renovations that could cost as much as $17 million, the ISD 696 school board, on Monday, discussed one possible source of funding to help pay for the improvements— the Department of Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation.

Gary Cerkvenik, a lobbyist for the Range Association of Municipalities and Schools (RAMS) who also works with the IRRR’s multi-school Iron Range School Collaboration project, outlined how the district might tap some of the limited funding still available to help school districts pursue facilities projects. Cerkvenik was joined by lobbyist Jeff Anderson, who works with Cerkvenik, as well as St. Louis County Commissioner Paul MacDonald.

Access to the IRRR funding stream requires that school districts engage in some kind of collaboration. Board chair Ray Marsnik said the district could seek a cooperative arrangement with the nearby St. Louis County School District, which operates schools in Babbitt and Tower.

Cerkvenik conceded that the IRRR collaborative fund account is quickly drying up because of ongoing collaborative projects involving a number of other school districts on the Range. “If you look at the next 20 years, the cash flow in that account does not sustain much more than an additional $2 million per year,” he said. “And there is a three-year period where (cash flow) drops below one million. They are getting to the end of money they have available.”

Cerkvenik has been in the legislative lobbying and public relations business for 30-plus years. Anderson, an Ely native, joined Cerkvenik’s firm, the Costin Group, Inc. earlier this year after working for Rep. Rick Nolan for six years.

“We want to make sure, when we work with you, that we have alternative paths to work on so that we can creatively help the Ely community to advance this large project and to lessen some of the property tax impact,” Cerkvenik said.

The IRRR’s Iron Range Collaborative Fund, he said, “is a unique program designed to drive cooperation for better academic outcomes for students.” The IRRR works with school administrations to design a funding program that will likely be unique in scope and impact, he added.

“They want to see how (your project) improves academic performance, and how does it drive cooperation among school districts,” Cerkvenik said. “They look at how you make smart use of resources, and address building needs. However, it is not just a building fund, and if you approach it that way, you probably won’t be successful. The (school) systems that have been successful in access to that money have had cooperative programs.”

He described the Mt. Iron-Buhl School District’s collaboration model with ISD 2142. They integrated their transportation system, business office, implemented superintendent and curriculum director sharing, language arts teaching, and expanded the video teaching model.

“It is only logical, because you don’t have any other nearby school districts except the one (ISD 2142), to leap ahead and have that (collaboration) discussion with them,” he said.

He offered that programs such as sharing classes with Northeast Range School could cut administrative costs and improve academic performance. “If you can put together a package that addresses a lot of those types of things, it then has some legs, rather than just concentrating on buildings,” Cerkvenik said.

Marsnik agreed that collaboration with the nearby school district is an important step for Ely and pushed to have a discussion with the ISD 2142 school board sooner rather than later about any options that could be considered.

Cerkvenik told school board members that he greased the wheels with the ISD 2142 board about such a conversation. “Reggie (Engebritson, ISD 2142 superintendent) is open to such a discussion,” he said. ‘She did talk with the school board there and they are open to talking.”

He laid out a necessary process to implement a collaboration effort. “You need to develop a relationship and a memorandum of understanding to work on and present that to your voters, the IRRR leadership and legislators,” Cerkvenik said.

Marsnik made clear that ISD 696 is not advocating consolidation with ISD 2142. “We are not talking consolidation, but collaboration; there is a big difference.”

Cerkvenik noted that many areas of collaboration already exist on the Iron Range, “including the Arrowhead Consortium for health insurance, school supplies, computer services, financial advice and other things that are economically efficient.”

He suggested that Ely school board members continue to try to access school collaboration funding from the IRRR. “It is set up to drive increased cooperation and to improve academic performance,” he said. “When you cooperate administratively to save money, you can put that (savings) into the classroom, and offer more opportunities for your kids.”

Marsnik agreed. “It is worthwhile to look into this. We will have further discussion with our full board (two members were absent from the meeting) and see how we want to move forward. The next step should be to meet with the 2142 board. It doesn’t hurt to talk,” he said.