Feb. 9—BEMIDJI — Among otherwise calm discussion, the process of selecting a board chair provided a contentious twist to Thursday’s work session for the

Bemidji Area Schools

Board of Education.

The topic of discussion came after

its Jan. 22 work session,

in which the board reached a stalemate in selecting a chair after several rounds of nominations and votes.

The board was not able to reach a 4-2 majority between chair candidates Julie Laitala and Dave Wall, instead being split 3-3.

Board members who voted for Laitala included Ann Long Voelkner, Jenny Frenzel and Laitala herself. Those voting for Wall included Wall himself, Anna Manecke and Justin Hoover.

Laitala initially noted a sticking point for supporting Wall at the Jan. 22 session that was further discussed on Thursday.

“I really have a hard time, in good faith, voting for someone that has aligned themselves with extremist hate groups,” Laitala shared during the Jan. 22 meeting. “Going by what their playbook says and bringing that back to the board meetings — causing division and fear — I just can’t do it.”

Laitala noted that the groups she referred to were the Minnesota Parents Alliance and

Moms for Liberty,

which claim to advocate for parental rights in education. The Minnesota Parents Alliance has also played a role in securing victories for “parent-backed” candidates in several school board elections across the state in 2022,

including Bemidji Area Schools’.

On Thursday, Wall asked Laitala to expand on her prior statement.

“I did make an effort to reach out privately … I left Julie a voicemail about the remarks made at the last meeting. I wanted to have a private discussion because I didn’t want to discuss this publicly, but I’m going to,” Wall said. “I felt there were some disparaging remarks made at that meeting.”

Laitala addressed her views that Wall — alongside then-candidates Manecke, Hoover, Nicole Jaranson and Marie Claire Richey — ran for the board with an agenda.

“People who come in here with an agenda to take away the rights of our students, to want to do school choice and take funding away from public schools, that want to bring religion into public schools … I honestly can’t back people who support that,” Laitala said. “If that’s what you’re proud to run on and that’s what your whole goal is, own it.

“Say you don’t care about public schools. Say you want to defund them. Say you want to take away the rights of our trans children and LGBTQIA+ students. … I cannot stand behind someone who comes in with an agenda like that. Why would I want that as my board chair?”

Wall countered Laitala’s comments, asking “Does that give you a platform to say disparaging remarks in public about fellow board members?”

Laitala stood firm on her remarks as Manecke rebutted her comment regarding school funding.

“I think I’ve fought pretty hard that we need to put money back into the school,” Manecke added, “and it was very apparent (at the Jan. 22 meeting).”

Long Voelkner currently serves as acting chair until the board can reach a majority at a future meeting. Being a work session, no formal action was taken on the matter.

With Hoover’s absence on Thursday, the board has committed to future attempts at electing a chair only if all six members are present at a regular meeting. Frenzel raised concerns about meeting as a whole board.

“At some point, we have to ask ourselves how long we’re going to push out these meetings waiting for an individual that chooses not to be here,” Frenzel said. “I absolutely want a full board here as that’s how we make decisions.”

With hopes of moving forward, Superintendent Jeremy Olson reminded the board that the chair’s additional responsibilities do not lead to additional voting power.

“This really is not a position that gets to dictate policy or direction of the board because the board itself dictates direction and policy,” Olson said. “We are going to continue to move forward as a district. That’s not going to be contingent on electing the board chair. … What I would urge the board to do is resolve this issue.”

The board also discussed the renewal of the district’s existing referendum of $180 per student for an additional 10 years.

The public was invited to three informational meetings regarding the referendum throughout December and January. With limited turnout, however, the board may seek additional public input.

The board also discussed the possibility of scheduling more consistent work sessions if its workload necessitates the need.

The next regular board meeting is scheduled for 5 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 26, in the district board room.