Education funding

As Bemidji Area Schools mediates with its bargaining units after a spring of budget cuts, Bemidji bus drivers and their supporters urged the Board for their support.

More than 350 educators and community members assembled along Oak Street to call attention to the unsettled union contracts ahead of the May 11, 2026, School Board meeting.

The Permanent School Fund uses revenue from the sale of timber, minerals and land on 2.5 million acres of School Trust Lands to fund public school districts and charter schools around Minnesota.

A bill authored by Rep. Ben Bakeberg, R-Jordan, would give the Blue Ribbon Commission more time to recommend cuts and eliminate the automatic funding cut.

A motion to close and consolidate the Bemidji school, dispersing students to other area elementaries serving kindergarten through third grade, failed to pass on a 3-3 vote.

The district estimates closing the school, which serves second and third grade, will save it at least $516,000 as it works to address a $2 million budget shortfall.

Bemidji Area Schools is considering consolidating its elementary schools by closing J.W. Smith, and community members are urging the Board to look at other options.

Parents and community members gathered at the J.W. Smith Elementary gymnasium for the Q&A session. The School Board will host a public hearing on March 24, 2026.

PreK-first students will attend Washington Elementary, while Lincoln Elementary will transition to second-fifth grades. Sixth graders will move up to Hibbing High School.

The school district must now advertise the planned closure for two weeks before hosting a public hearing on the decision, which would go into effect this spring.