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May 1, 2025
Dear Bremerton families, staff and the Bremerton community:
I am writing to you today to share important information about the Bremerton School District budget, and some changes we are making to address a budget shortfall for the 2025-26 school year.
Like many school Districts throughout the state and nation, the Bremerton School District is facing a budget deficit due to rising costs, declining enrollment, the expiration of COVID-19 funding, and insufficient state education funding.
The majority of our funding comes from the state (71%), and that funding is largely based on student enrollment. Our enrollment has been declining since the 2015-16 school year and this decline was exacerbated by the COVID pandemic. Current enrollment is 200 students under budget for the 2024-25 school year, and enrollment is expected to decline slightly in 2025-26.
Budget reduction measures are never easy. The majority of Bremerton School District’s budget (80 percent) is personnel - and that means that addressing a budget deficit inevitably involves difficult decisions regarding staffing. The District’s priority is to keep cuts furthest from the classroom whenever possible.
We have managed the majority of the necessary reductions through attrition. Even so, we've also had to reduce staff at schools and at the District’s administrative office. We invite you to learn more about these reductions on our website (www.BremertonSchools.org/budget).
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Changes at Bremerton High School
We’ve had to reduce staffing in our secondary schools to align with lower student enrollment. With the goal of minimizing the reduction of classroom teaching positions, the decision was made to have Assistant Principal (AP) Mitchell Judie take on the athletic director responsibilities starting next year. This reduces FTE (staffing) at BHS without reducing classroom teachers, and saves the District more than $140,000.
Historically, the athletic director has not been a full-time position. Many of Mr. Judie’s current AP responsibilities will be reassigned and his primary role will be overseeing athletics. It is important to note that this decision is budgetary, not disciplinary or performance-based, and the athletic director was offered a full-time teaching position in the district.
We’ve made some other programmatic changes as well. For the 2025-26 school year, both jazz band and choir will still be available, but they will no longer be offered as “zero-hour” courses before school. The pottery class at Bremerton High School will now be offered as an art credit, taught by a certificated art teacher rather than as a Career & Technical Education (CTE) course. This change supports our focus on aligning CTE courses with high-demand career preparation.
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Fund Balance / Reserves
The District budgeted to operate “in the red” this school year, using reserve funds to subsidize the budget by approximately $2.6 million. We have worked to reduce costs leading up to and during this school year. However, as we have progressed through the school year our operating deficit is now approaching approximately $3 million for the year. We cannot afford to continue spending our reserves by operating “in the red” again in 2025-26.
Per Board policy, we are required to maintain a fund balance of 5% (approximately $5 million). The District must also maintain reserves for cash flow. The District has ongoing expenses, including salaries, utilities, and supplies, and our reserves ensure that we have enough cash on hand to meet these obligations throughout the year, as revenue is received at varying times.
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Moving forward
We remain committed to providing the best possible education for our students, even in the face of these financial challenges. We will continue to provide updates and information as we continue to refine the 2025-26 budget.
We appreciate your continued support.
With sincere thanks,
Donna Colosky
Superintendent
Bremerton School District
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View the budget FAQ on our website
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The Bremerton School District is transitioning to a new communication platform called ParentSquare to improve communication and engagement with our families, students and community. During this transition, you may receive our updates twice. We apologize for any inconvenience. To continue receiving our communication, please subscribe here.
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The Bremerton School District does not discriminate in any programs or activities on the basis of sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, veteran or military status, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. The following employee(s) has been designated to handle questions and complaints of alleged discrimination: Carol Bailie at 360.473.1026, or the Section 504 Coordinator, Mark Mayfield at 360.473.4702. Mailing address: 134 Marion Avenue North, Bremerton, WA 98312.
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Bremerton School District
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