Bemidji District Proposes Closing J.W. Smith Elementary Amid $3M Cuts

More than a hundred teachers, parents and community members crammed into the Downtown Education Center boardroom on Feb. 23, 2026, for a packed Bemidji Area Schools meeting where trustees proposed closing J.W. Smith Elementary at the end of the 2025-26 school year. Board Chair Todd Haugen, Superintendent Jeremy Olson, Board Member Jack Aakhus and Administrative Assistant Kristy Settle were on the dais as Principal Bruce Goodwin and staff urged the board to reconsider; the board scheduled a final vote for Mar. 2, 2026.

District leaders framed the proposal as part of a multi-million-dollar budget reduction needed to avoid a projected deficit for 2026-27. Bemidji Pioneer reporting put proposed reductions between $3.1 and $3.3 million and warned of a possible $3.5 million shortfall; KAXE said the district must trim more than $3 million. The board and speakers referenced a longer trend: enrollment peaked at 5,100 students in 2019-20 and has dropped by about 600 students since, a loss that KAXE reported translated into roughly $6.5 million less in state enrollment funding over the years.

Community members said the impact would extend beyond district ledgers to everyday safety, access and supports for families around J.W. Smith. Lakeland PBS identified J.W. Smith as one of the oldest schools in the district and "the last remaining neighborhood school." Jess Ness told the meeting, "Closing J.W. would be devastating to many families. This is not just about convenience. It’s about safety, access and equity. When a child gets sick or needs to go home, not having transportation is a real hardship. J.W. serves one of the highest populations of Native American families in our district. It’s more than a school; it’s our safe place."

Teachers and local service leaders tied those equity concerns to student well-being and community stability. First grade teacher Maggie Larson said, "For years, we’ve asked this district for support, and after years of being told to make it work, we’re now being told the way to make it work is to shut the doors." Andrea Kent, executive director of the Boys & Girls Club of the Bemidji Area, warned decision makers to weigh "the costs of moving families who don’t have often a voice, who are already facing many challenges and struggling day to day from places of safety, of support, and of resources that we’re providing with the J.W. Smith staff."

Speakers also criticized the district process and timing. Bemidji resident Michael Meehlhause told trustees, "Your rush to close J.W. Smith, without presenting other options, without providing opportunities for community input beyond one meeting, is a disservice to Bemidji and a dereliction of your duties as stewards of this community." KAXE reported staff at J.W. Smith learned of the possible closure hours after the board approved a purchase agreement for the former Central Elementary the prior Friday, a sequence that frustrated many who remember the Central closure five years ago.

As the board prepares to vote on Mar. 2, 2026, advocates pressed for alternatives to school closure and for clearer accounting of the district's budget choices. The decision will determine school assignments for neighborhood families, transportation needs for students who fall sick or require early pickup, and whether one of Bemidji’s neighborhood schools that serves a high share of Native American students remains open.