The Bemidji Area School Board will consider closing Central Elementary during their meeting Monday.
Superintendent Tim Lutz commented in the board packet that Central is not only one of the district’s oldest schools and will need future repairs and investments, but also has the lowest enrollment.
Lutz is recommending the closure of Central and redistricting attendance boundaries for current students in the zone to attend other neighborhood schools.
The school district is looking to cut around $5.6 million from their budget to avoid a statutory operating debt and restore a positive general fund balance.
An online petition against the closure has gathered over 1,000 signatures.
The meeting will be broadcast starting around 6:30 Monday evening on local TV and on YouTube.
