Bemidji schools discuss goals, contract talks and board election

Bemidji Area Schools spent its June 16 public update laying out three issues that will shape the next school year: district goals, continuing contract talks and the upcoming school board election. Superintendent Jeremy Olson and board member Dave Wall used the ChatAbout episode to recap the board’s latest work session, signaling that the district is still trying to keep academic planning, staffing stability and governance moving at the same time.

The district’s 2025-2026 goals show how tight that balance has become. Bemidji Area Schools has set a target of a 2% increase over 2024-2025 MCA proficiency results, along with improved FastBridge growth, stabilized enrollment and a balanced budget by the end of fiscal year 2027. Those priorities matter because they sit beside the district’s budget pressures, not above them.

On April 20, the school board approved $2.7 million in staffing reductions to help address a projected deficit that Olson said could exceed $3 million in fiscal 2027. About $1.7 million of the cuts came from licensed positions, with another $1.6 million trimmed from non-licensed staff. That level of reduction will shape staffing, class size and support services heading into fall, even as the district continues to push for academic gains.

Labor negotiations have moved forward as well. On May 28, the board unanimously approved several 2025-2027 bargaining agreements covering food service workers, bus drivers, principals, non-licensed staff, support services employees and confidential administrative support staff. The agreements included no salary increase in 2025-2026 for several groups, followed by 2% increases in 2026-2027. Some of the contracts also raised health-care savings plan contributions and removed a 403B lifetime match cap, changes that affect both day-to-day paychecks and long-term retirement planning.

The political calendar is also starting to narrow. Beltrami County’s candidate filing period for the 2026 election cycle ran from May 19 at 8 a.m. through June 2 at 5 p.m., and Bemidji Area Schools later set its own school board filing window for July 14 through July 28. A separate report said the board will review the 2026-2027 budget and call the Nov. 3 election, with three four-year board seats up for grabs.

That leaves Bemidji residents facing a summer of decisions that will reach classrooms in the fall. The district’s goals, contract talks and election plans are now tied together, and the outcome will shape who teaches, who leads and how the budget is set for the year ahead.