Bemidji School Board approves contracts with bus drivers, principals, support staff

Bemidji Area Schools locked in new pay and benefit terms for bus drivers, principals, food service workers and support staff just as the district heads toward another school year with transportation and staffing under pressure. The Bemidji School Board unanimously approved the tentative agreements at a special meeting May 27, closing out a broad round of bargaining that touches some of the district’s most visible daily operations.

The bus driver agreement landed after nearly a year without a contract. Around a dozen drivers and supporters had shown up at the May 18 board meeting to press for a settlement, a sign of how closely the issue has been watched in a district that covers 825 square miles, runs 63 bus routes, and sends drivers on more than a million miles of routes each school year. Fifty-four of those routes are staffed by district drivers, while nine are covered by Bemidji Bus Lines. The bargaining also came as Bemidji Area Schools had already cut $2.7 million from its budget this spring and faced a projected deficit of more than $3 million for 2027.

The package for bus drivers includes similar terms to the other settlement patterns in the district, along with a $1 increase in shift differential for the 2025-26 school year only. The United Food Service Workers Association agreement includes no salary increase for 2025-26, a $460 stipend for that year, and a 2 percent salary increase per step for 2026-27, with a projected two-year cost of 3.72 percent. The bus drivers’ deal carries a projected two-year cost of 3.74 percent.

The Bemidji Principals Association agreement adds a $3,000 stipend for 2025-26, a 2 percent increase for 2026-27, a $25-per-pay-period increase in Health Care Saving Plan contributions starting July 1, 2026, and a higher district 403B match. Its projected two-year cost is 3.66 percent. Superintendent Jeremy Olson said principals do not have a comparable number of salary steps to other district employees, which shaped the agreement. For non-licensed and support services employees, the board approved no salary increase for 2025-26, a 2 percent increase for 2026-27, a $400 increase to employee 403B accounts beginning July 1, 2026, and removal of a lifetime 403B match cap, with a projected two-year cost of 3.78 percent.

The May 27 vote followed an earlier tentative agreement with the Bemidji Education Association, which represents more than 400 teachers and educators. That deal shortens the school year from 182 days to 178 in 2025-26 and 179 in 2026-27, with total contract costs reported at 3.71 percent under the Minnesota School Boards Association model. Taken together, the settlements point to a district trying to reset labor costs and keep enough staff in place to avoid disruption when students return.