The Bemidji School Board has started the conversation on where to make budget cuts that would help reduce its current $1.3 million budget deficit.

There were a few routes discussed at the special school board meeting. The board discussed making cuts around the primary grades but also discussed probably moving some those jobs into other roles in the district. They also talked about possibly making cuts around school curriculum and reducing events held at the high school to save money. The board is aiming to make around $1 million worth of cuts.

Jeff Haack, Bemidji School Board Chairperson, says, “Obviously, these are bigger discussions than what we can tackle at this meeting or the next one, but in the next month or two, maybe I’d be looking for some feedback on maybe what the timeline for those discussions would be and how many resources they would take to tackle those larger issues.”

Nothing is finalized on where the board will the make the budget cuts. More options will be presented at the next school board meeting.

By — Shirelle Moore