HIBBING — The Hibbing School Board will decide whether to begin the process of closing Greenhaven Elementary at its meeting 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 4.
The district is facing a $2 million budget shortfall. Acting Superintendent Carrie McDonald estimated at a School Board meeting Feb. 18 that closing Greenhaven would save about $516,000. That's not including any revenue from a possible sale.
“I want everyone to know here that this is a really difficult conversation. No one wants to see us have to close a building,” McDonald said at the meeting.
“ ... Student enrollment has declined over time, resulting in unused classroom space and excess building capacity across the district. Current enrollment levels no longer align with maintaining four fully utilized school buildings.”
Many rural districts are facing declining enrollment that will only accelerate in the coming years as populations shrink. Hibbing also loses more kids to open enrollment than it gains. Together, that strains the budget, as fewer kids means less state aid.
Enrollment changes are also forcing districts to consider rightsizing their facilities. Bemidji also plans to close an elementary school, citing budget cuts and enrollment trends. Aitkin has pointed to smaller grades as part of the reason it wants to replace its current elementary.
Hibbing underwent a major change just last school year when it shifted its elementary schools to grade-level buildings as another cost-saving measure.
“We love our building. We love where we’re at. We’re very happy with everything that’s gone on, and we love our second and third grade group here,” Greenhaven Principal Bob Bestul said in an interview Tuesday.
“But as a part of a district, that’s what you’ve got to worry about, too. You’ve got to worry about the whole district. I honestly would much rather have some smaller class sizes and be able to keep things like that going for our students than just to say a building’s more important. “
Contract negotiations and leadership upheaval
The Board will also offer an update on contract negotiations with support staff at its Wednesday meeting.
Board members unanimously denied the tentative agreement with AFSCME Local 480 at a special meeting Tuesday. The union represents 115 pupil support assistants, secretaries, custodians and information technology workers.
According to the union, workers voted on and accepted a contract in December 2025 after negotiations in October.
But at the beginning of the year, Hibbing underwent a major shift in leadership. The School Board chair resigned, as did the superintendent and business manager.
“The new leadership at the school has refused to recognize the agreed upon contract and wants to go back to the bargaining table in a clear attempt to strip the contract of the fair wage increase in the coming years,” AFSCME stated in mid-February, after the unit filed an unfair labor practices charge.
In the weeks since, the union has delivered a vote of no confidence to the Board, and its right to strike has matured.
The union said on social media Tuesday that the Board agreed to vote on the tentative agreement during mediation that day. It will delay a strike vote until the next mediation session March 17 but won’t withdraw its strike petition.
More Greenhaven, budget considerations
Despite all the uncertainty, Bestul said it’s been business as usual for the students.
“Until we know what we’re doing, we’re going to treat everything as we have,” he said.
Acting Superintendent McDonald has been working closely with staff on the possible Greenhaven closure. Bestul said realignment would start by identifying available space at the high school and working down from there.
The Board will discuss reconfiguration at the Wednesday meeting. It will also set a date for a public hearing, as required by state law, if it approves the closure.
Bestul acknowledged that everyone has been “walking on a little pins and needles,” especially as the end of the school year rapidly approaches. Whether Greenhaven closes, a significant budget shortfall requires significant reductions. But staff are committed to putting kids first, he said.
“It’s not going to be easy. It’s not going to be fun,” he said. “But I’m confident the people here can do it.”
McDonald also offered a cautiously optimistic view at the Feb. 18 meeting.
“I believe we can turn this around. We are going to go through six really hard months,” she said. “But I believe we can start next school year and begin to heal and move in the right direction.”
