Hibbing Board Begins Greenhaven Elementary Closure Process, Sets March Hearing

The Hibbing School Board voted unanimously to begin the formal process to close Greenhaven Elementary, authorizing Acting Superintendent Carrie McDonald to schedule a required public hearing by March 31 and moving to reconfigure the district from four buildings to three. Northern News Now reports the district has set the hearing for 6 p.m. March 26 at the Lincoln school auditorium, a date that falls within the board’s March 31 deadline listed on the district agenda.

District leaders say the step is aimed at addressing a $2 million budget shortfall driven by declining enrollment and a recently failed referendum. At a Feb. 18 board meeting, McDonald estimated closing Greenhaven would save about $516,000 annually, a figure KAXE noted does not include any revenue from a possible sale of the property. Mesabi Tribune reported the district’s unassigned fund balance has been declining since 2009, a longer-term fiscal trend district administrators cited in framing the proposal.

McDonald acknowledged the difficulty of the decision in public remarks: “I want everyone to know here that this is a really difficult conversation. No one wants to see us have to close a building,” she told the board, and later read the administrative presentation that “Operating and maintaining underutilized facilities requires significant ongoing costs, including utilities, maintenance, and staffing.” Mesabi Tribune quoted McDonald saying, “We are hoping that moving forward with this would provide some sort of long-term stability,” while also noting she warned cuts would still be required even if Greenhaven closed: “McDonald said there would still need to be cuts made, but the closure of the Greenhaven would limit the amount of reductions needed to be made.”

The district’s reconfiguration planning includes specific operational scenarios intended to keep services intact while reducing overhead. Mesabi Tribune reported administration’s determination that “Based on current data and projections, administration has determined that a transition from four buildings to three can be successfully implemented.” That scenario envisions the sixth grade assigned to a self-contained third-floor area with minimal interaction with juniors and seniors, designated areas for seventh- and eighth-graders, and a series of targeted analyses for special education preschool–12, pre-K through grade eight specialist programming, student support services, and administration.

The board’s motion to schedule the public hearing invokes Minnesota Statute M.S. 123B.51 and requires an opportunity for community input, testimony, and review of the closure report, as listed on the district Resources Finalsite agenda. Northern News Now framed the March 26 meeting as a chance “to walk the families through the proposal” and allow community members to “join the conversation about either closing or selling Greenhaven elementary.”

Labor negotiations add another timeline pressure. The Resources Finalsite agenda included a negotiations update, KAXE said the board would give an update on contract talks with support staff, and Northern News Now reported Hibbing schools and some union staff remain at an impasse with the next mediation session scheduled for March 17.

From a fiscal perspective, the district’s $516,000 savings estimate would cover roughly 26 percent of the $2 million gap, leaving significant shortfalls even if Greenhaven closes and excluding any one-time proceeds from a sale. Next steps directed by the board require administration to make recommendations for reductions in programs and positions and to complete enrollment-out analyses examining shifts to online learning, charter schools, PSEO, and alternative programs before the district finalizes any reconfiguration or sale decision. The board will review testimony and the closure report as required under M.S. 123B.51 following the late-March hearing.