Bemidji School Board Votes to Close Central Elementary

After hours of discussion Monday night and several months of planning, the Bemidji Area School Board has voted to close Central Elementary to reduce costs in the district’s budget.

Now with the board voting to close Central Elementary, students who attended the school will be attending other schools in the district. The district will continue ways to plan and reconfigure the district’s boundaries and students at  Central Elementary will be bused to other schools at no additional cost.

However, many parents, teachers, and Bemidji residents showed up to express their concerns. Similar themes revolved around increased class sizes and recognizing that the school caters to BIPOC students and those in the most vulnerable populations. Some even recommended that the district revisits the topic of another referendum.

While the board did vote to move forward with Central Elementary’s closure, the decision didn’t come unanimously – newest board member Dr. Gabriel Warren voted no on the matter.