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A plan by the Bemidji school board to shutter one of the district’s elementary schools drew pointed criticism at a crowded public hearing on Tuesday night.

The board says the proposed closure of J.W. Smith Elementary School is necessary to address a projected budget deficit of about $4 million for the next school year.

But the cost-saving plan, announced several weeks ago, has sparked concerns, especially from tribal nations. J.W. Smith Elementary has the highest population of Indigenous learners in the district. Out of 204 students enrolled at the school, 70 percent are Indigenous and 80 percent qualify for free or reduced lunch.

Laurie Harper, director of education for the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, was among the crowd of more than 100 people at Tuesday’s hearing — the last chance for the public to weigh in on the plan before the board makes a final decision next week. Most speakers criticized the move to close the school.

“As a portrait of a community that has already endured more than its share of loss, closing the school is not a neutral financial decision,” Harper told the board. “It’s a decision with profound and disproportionate impact on the American Indian community here in Bemidji.”

Harper told MPR News that the school board — also known as a local education agency, or LEA — should have consulted with tribal nations before advancing the proposed closure earlier this month.  

“I can honestly state that there has not been tribal consultation,” she said. “Not that there has to be a tribal consultation due to the closure. But when there is a decision that is being made by an LEA that is going to impact a specific population of students, then the LEA is compelled under the ‘Every Student Succeeds Act’ to consult with that demographic.” 

J.W. Smith Elementary Principal Bruce Goodwin fought back tears as he spoke to the board about what the school means to the community. 

“I come to work every morning knowing that those doors need to be open for our students. They’re waiting for us. They need us,” he said. “You can’t explain it. There’s not words for it. You have to see it, and I see it every day.”

After the hearing ended, Superintendent Jeremy Olson told MPR News he is sympathetic to the community’s concerns, and proud that they are fighting to keep their school.  

“There would be something wrong if you’re looking at proposing closing a school, and your parents come in, come back to you, and say, ‘Well, we don’t care.’ That would tell me there’s something wrong with that system," he said.

J.W. Smith Elementary is one of six elementary school buildings in the Bemidji district. It’s home to a satellite location of Boys & Girls Club of the Bemidji Area, which would also shut down if the proposal goes through. The after-school program serves about 70 to 90 students daily.

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The public had one final chance Tuesday night to weigh in on a proposal to shutter J.W. Smith Elementary School in Bemidji. The school board will make a final decision on the school closure plan next week.

Parents, community members urge Bemidji school board to reconsider closure plan

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