Transportation contract, staff rehiring on deck for Bemidji school board meeting

Daltyn Lofstrom, The Bemidji Pioneer, Minn.
·1 min read

Aug. 14—BEMIDJI — Prepping for the start of the 2022-2023 school year, the

Bemidji Area Schools

Board of Education will meet in regular session at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 15, in the district office board room.

The board is set to approve a three-year school bus transportation contract with Bemidji Bus Lines for bus services of three regular routes and one evening-only route.

Total contract amounts would include $205,178 for the 2022-2023 school year, $210,195 for 2023-2024 and $215,415 for 2024-2025.

"This represents a 2.4% increase in each year of the contract," District Business Director Krisi Fenner wrote in a letter to the board. "These amounts are reasonable when compared to inflation rates and recent state funding trends."

Prior to this year, the routes had been contracted by Erv Blom of Blom's Bus Service,

who passed away in October 2021.

The board will also take action on rehiring Shayna Fellman, Kyla Hannem, Malcolm McCannell and Madeline Meiers following board action to release them from their probationary positions at an

April 18 board meeting,

effective for June 6.

"Vacancies exist for an art teacher at Northern and J.W. Smith Elementary Schools, a mathematics teacher at Bemidji Middle School, a special education teacher at Bemidji High School and a science teacher at Bemidji Middle School," Human Resources Director Jordan Hickman wrote in a letter to the board.

Teaching contracts would be issued to Fellman, Hannem, McCannell and Meiers for the 2022-2023 school year upon board approval.

The public can attend the meeting in person or

watch the meeting on the Bemidji Area Schools YouTube channel.