Bemidji school board approves new teacher contract after months of talks

Bemidji families will feel the new teacher contract in the classroom and in the district ledger: pay and benefit changes for more than 400 educators, a shorter school year, and a clearer staffing picture for next fall. The Bemidji Area Schools board approved the agreement with the Bemidji Education Association on April 20, and the deal carries a total cost of 3.71% under the Minnesota School Boards Association model.

The unanimous vote settled more than eight months of negotiations between Independent School District No. 31 and the union that represents the district’s teachers and other educators. Board materials show the agreement covers July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2027, and the action came during a public meeting in the District Office Board Room at 502 Minnesota Ave NW. In January, more than 100 teachers gathered at a school board meeting to press for a fair contract, underscoring how closely the talks had become tied to day-to-day classroom conditions.

For families, the most immediate changes are likely to be felt in staffing stability, class coverage and the district’s ability to hold onto experienced educators. The Bemidji Education Association had pushed for cost-of-living adjustments and other benefit changes during mediation, and the new agreement gives teachers a fresh contract heading into the next school year. The district also shortened the academic year by three days, moving the last day of school from June 3 to May 29, a change that will affect schedules across Bemidji Area Schools.

The contract does not erase the budget strain underneath it. Bemidji Area Schools has already been working from a revised 2025-2026 budget that projected a $2.7 million deficit, while district leaders have also been discussing the possibility of a $3.5 million deficit for 2026-2027. On April 20, the board approved $2.7 million in staffing reductions as part of its effort to close that gap, a decision that will shape class offerings, workloads and other services taxpayers ultimately fund.

The agreement should reduce the risk of a labor disruption before fall, since the board and the union now have terms locked in for the next two school years. But the larger pressure remains in place: enrollment shifts, staffing cuts and a strained budget still define the district’s planning, even as educators and school leaders move beyond months of bargaining and back toward operating the schools.