The Northfield Public Schools and Carleton College announced Thursday that the college is pledging $2 Million to the Northfield High School renovation project. In an email to school district families from the Superintendent, Dr. Matt Hillmann, he expressed his thanks to Carleton, saying, “I’m humbled and so grateful on behalf of the school board, students, staff, families, and taxpayers of the Northfield School District.” Hillmann described the donation as a “historic investment” and a “unique milestone” as this is the first time a Minnesota Private College has made a donation towards a public school district bond referendum project.
The donation contingent on the first question of the referendum passing would lower the cost of the project by $2 million for taxpayers.
In a statement released by Carleton, the college stated their success relies on the city:
“Carleton is very fortunate to be located in the charming, historic, and friendly town of Northfield. An attractive location is important not only to prospective students, but also to our faculty and staff, many of whom choose to make Northfield their home. The continued success of the College and the City of Northfield are inextricably linked. A strong college contributes to a strong city, and a strong city contributes to the strength of the college.
The statement noted that Carlton and the schools have worked together in the past, with Carleton students volunteering as mentors for the TORCH program and Project Friendship and faculty have worked with the high school teachers on projects before. However, the statement also noted that this is a new “level of commitment” from the college. Additionally, the statement noted that the colleges are usually required to spend their funds on causes that advance their mission, and donations like this are quite rare. However, the statement said “that, in the long run, the College benefits greatly from a strong local school system, which helps us to attract and retain the extraordinary faculty and staff who are integral to Carleton’s success. And we believe that as a premier academic institution, it is appropriate for us to help support a quality educational environment for students in our local community.”
The school district is hosting a public event today at 10am to celebrate the announcement in the High School’s upper cafeteria. Carleton College President Alison Byerly and Professor Matt Whited will speak along with several members of the Northfield High School community, including Principal Shane Baier, teachers Bubba Sullivan and Jody Saxton-West, Student Council President Leena Brown, and District Board Chair Claudia Gonzalez-George.
KYMN will be at the event and provide a full recap during Tuesday’s newscast.
You can learn more about the Northfield High School Bond Referendum at Northfieldschools.org/reimagine
Logan Wells is the KYMN News Director. You can contact him at Logan@kymnradio.net
