Bremerton School District

Dear Bremerton Community,

Thank you for your patience and understanding during this challenging time for our school district. You demonstrate time and again your resilience, and the winning spirit that exemplifies how “We Are Bremerton.”

Our school board is committed to ensuring a fair, independent, and thorough fact-finding process into allegations against Dr. James Crawford, who was placed on administrative leave in early July. It is important to the board that we are keeping our community informed to the degree we are able regarding the fact-finding process and its progress. Please bear in mind that with any personnel matter, the information we are able to share is extremely limited. This protects the individual at the center of the discovery process and the integrity of the investigation itself.

We can, however, share information on the process we are utilizing to ensure we learn the facts surrounding the allegations. When a leader within an organization, including a school district, is accused or suspected of misconduct it is beneficial to engage a third party with expertise in facilitating inquiries to gather facts based on the scope of the need. On June 20, 2024, the board engaged the expertise of a third-party investigative consultant to conduct an investigation specifically related to allegations regarding Dr. Crawford’s use of the school district’s computer network, and his candor when asked about such network use. The board became aware of other potential concerns related to the work climate and culture at BSD and the tenor of interactions between Dr. Crawford and BSD staff members.

When the board is made aware of multiple serious concerns about a leader and the climate under their leadership, it is standard practice and the obligation of the board to further explore the concerns. The Bremerton School Board is engaging with a third-party consultant, with significant experience in public agency human resources to explore the BSD work environment and the tenor of interactions under Dr. Crawford’s leadership.

The exploration of facts surrounding the BSD climate and culture and superintendent interactions with staff will involve the interview of a number of employees and is expected to take time. Upon the completion of the interviews and discovery of facts, the board will share with the community the outcome of both the initial investigation into school district network access concerns and the information gathered following staff interviews.

With uncertainty regarding the amount of time the human resources inquiry will take to complete, and with multiple major district initiatives in progress, the board will be exploring the possibility of engaging the support of an interim superintendent focused on district leadership during this time of transition. A focused interim leader would allow current staff to continue their work to advance implementation of major initiatives including the district’s successful bond program and the launch of the district’s Strategic Plan. More information on the possibility of a dedicated interim will be shared with our staff and community should it materialize.

Throughout both the network use investigation and the human resources fact-finding process, the board will continue to provide regular updates to our community to the degree we are able. We ask for your patience as we ensure an impartial, systematic gathering of information, always with the goal of moving forward in the best interest of the Bremerton School District.

With sincere gratitude,

Bremerton School District Board of Directors