Bemidji school bus drivers seek contract amid budget talks

If the bus-driver contract in Bemidji stays unresolved, families could feel it first in later pickups, less reliable routes and a shakier start to summer programs and the next school year. Bemidji Area Schools runs 63 bus routes across an 825-square-mile district, and transportation has become a core service pressure point, not a side issue, as drivers say they have gone nearly a year without a new contract.

Around a dozen bus drivers and supporters turned out at the Bemidji School Board meeting Monday, May 18, as the Bemidji Drivers Association pressed for a settlement. The group’s concerns mirror those seen in many Minnesota districts: base pay, inflation, health-insurance costs and the difficulty of keeping experienced drivers when wages do not keep pace with local living costs. One driver said base pay is about $19,000 a year, a figure that helps explain why replacement and retention have become so difficult.

Bemidji’s transportation network is large for a district of its size. Of the 63 routes, 54 are staffed by district drivers and nine are handled through Bemidji Bus Lines. Drivers log more than a million miles in a school year, a reminder that any staffing gap can ripple quickly through morning pickups, afternoon drop-offs and activity trips.

Superintendent Jeremy Olson told the board the district has reached pattern settlements with other bargaining groups and wants to apply the same approach here. He also thanked drivers for their work. But the talks are unfolding inside a severe financial squeeze. In mid-February, the district said it was facing a multi-million-dollar shortfall tied to a structural deficit that has stretched back to 2018. Olson framed the fiscal 2026 reductions as $1.6 million in cuts, and in late April the district approved more than $2.7 million in reductions for fiscal 2027.

Enrollment pressure is adding to the strain. Bemidji Area Schools reported 4,812 students in the 2023-24 school year across 15 schools, then 4,722 students in October 2024, down from 4,812 the year before. State guidance from the Minnesota Department of Education says districts should periodically review whether to contract for transportation or operate it themselves, and the Office of the Legislative Auditor has long treated student transportation as a major district expense. With school bus shortages still a statewide problem, the next round of bargaining will matter for more than wages. It will shape how Bemidji gets students to class on time next fall.