Bemidji School Board Makes Case for Extending Current Referendum

By Matthew Freeman

The Bemidji School Board held its last of three public meetings yesterday to discuss a proposal where they would use their authority to extend the existing referendum of $180 per student for an additional 10 years.

Members of the community gathered in the Lumberjack Room at Bemidji High School, where district superintendent Jeremy Olson helped discuss the topic. He says this extension will not result in increased taxation and would simply maintain the operating referendum.

The school board believes this extension is necessary, keeps current funding and is fiscally responsible, and will preserve school programs and services offered by the district.

“We just really wanted to be intentional about the listening, making sure that we have opportunities, multiple opportunities for people to speak into this process and provide input to the school board before any decisions are made,” said Olson on why the meeting were held. “We had some good questions and I think we were able to answer those and provide some dialog around this topic. And I think it gave the board some interesting information and I think some insight into what community members are thinking.”

The average referendum for Minnesota schools is $705 per student, compared to the Bemidji School District’s $180 per pupil.