BSD Staff Updates
2021-22 Issue #9: Thursday, January 20, 2022
News, Information and Updates for Bremerton School District staff.
Replacement capital levy community forum (on Zoom)
For more information, please visit: www.BremertonSchools.org/2022Levy
Thursday, Jan 27, 2022, 05:00 PM
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Welcome Klayton Kuzminski, our new Technology Services Supervisor
Klayton Kuzminski has been hired as the new District Technology Services Supervisor, replacing Steve Bartlett.
Klayton comes to us with more than 22 years of experience in the technology field - with more than 19 of those years spent at the Bremerton Housing Authority. While at BHA, he provided IT and project management encompassing infrastructure, business systems, reporting and document management. Prior to working for BHA, Klayton was a computer technician for the North Kitsap School District.
Klayton has lived in Kitsap County for 30 years. He and his wife (a massage therapist) live in an old farm house that they have been renovating and repairing for most of their married lives. They have an 11-year-old son. In his free time, Klayton enjoys fixing things, building Legos with his son, and working on cars. He enjoys motorcycle "adventure" rides with friends, mostly in the Cascades and Olympics.
Klayton starts February 2. Welcome, to the Bremerton School District family, Klayton!
Highlights from January 13, 2022
POLICY NEWS – for Staff Review
In response to OSPI’s updated rules and in support of districts across the state, WSSDA has updated its model policy and procedures for Restraint, Isolation, and Other Use of Reasonable Force. Revised Policy 3246 (previously called Use of Reasonable Force), was adopted by the Board on second read and should be reviewed by staff. Contact Jon Bell, Director of Special Education, if you have any questions. Revised procedures will be coming soon.
Mr. Jon Bell presented Policy 3411, Accommodating Students with Seizure Disorders or Epilepsy for first reading. During the 2021 legislative session, Legislature enacted HB 1085, an act promoting a safe public school learning environment for students with seizure disorders. WSSDA responded by creating this new model policy, which the Board is interested in adopting on second read, scheduled for an upcoming February meeting.
The District has revised Procedure 3115P; Students Experiencing Homelessness. The link is provided here for staff review.
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Board Recognition
Superintendent Leavell introduced the winner of the Youth 2021 Linda Gabriel Human Rights Award, Guyland Charles, Bremerton High School senior. Mr. Charles represents Bremerton High School and makes us proud. It should be noted that this is the 2nd year in a row that BHS has had a student receive this outstanding honor. It was also Board Recognition Month as proclaimed by Governor Inslee. Dr. Leavell congratulated them for their 4th year being honored by the Washington State School Directors Assn. (WSSDA) as a Board of Distinction, one of only seven medium-sized districts in the state for this year. The Board is appreciative of the “thank you” notes and videos sent in from schools and the time taken away from everyone’s busy life to acknowledge them.
In November, the Board and Superintendent Leavell enjoyed professional development opportunities and networking with other district from around the state and the Washington State School Directors Assn (WSSDA) Annual Conference. At this Board meeting, they shared many of the highlights from the three days in Bellevue.
Dr. Leavell reported on the two recent community forums, adding that the last forum will be held on January 27th, to provide information on the upcoming Capital Projects Levy and the proposed multi-purpose sports complex. He reported on the impact of staffing shortages, particularly in the Transportation Department, and thanked all of those staff who are having to adjust their hours and/or workload. He also thanked Kristen Morga, for her work as COVID supervisor, handling a lot of communication to staff, nurses and parents.
Dr. Steedman presented the 2021/2022 General Fund Status for the period ending December 31, 2021, which is 1/3 way through the fiscal year. Enrollment is projected to be very close to the budgeted number, and with that the ending budget deficit is expected to be approximately ($250,000).
The Board approved an extension to the agreement with Central Kitsap School District regarding the West Sound Technical Skills Center project. As the Legislature did not fund the proposal last year to update the facility, the districts are hoping that the funding will pass in the new legislative session in order move forward with the remodeling project.
The Board approved the West Sound Technical Skills Center Educators Association (WSTSCEA) Union Collective Bargaining Agreement for 2021-24.
The Board passed Resolution 2021/2022-13, proclaiming that Juneteenth Independence Day is to be recognized and celebrated as a holiday in the Bremerton School District beginning in 2023.
The Board adopted the School Year Academic Calendar for 2022-2023. There was some discussion about the District working with Olympic College to try and make our spring break coincide better with the start of their spring quarter.
President Rotter explained that per Policy 1210, a Legislative Representative is normally appointed by the Board President in December of even-numbered years. She explained further that for several years now, the District has elected to have two legislative representatives, one for federal and one for state. Director Perkins has served as the federal legislative representative, and President Rotter has covered the role of state legislative representative who serves as the Board's liaison with WSSDA. In her new role as Board President, and knowing Director Bolton's interest in this position, President Rotter appointed Director Bolton to serve as the new State Legislative Representative for calendar year 2022.
To view any of these documents, you may also visit https://go.boarddocs.com/wa/wabrsd/Board.nsf/Public#.
New bonuses for certificated guest teachers
The Bremerton School District, in an effort to increase the number of certificated substitutes, recently enacted the following incentives for the remainder of the 2021-22 school year.
This information is available on our website at www.BremertonSchools.org/GuestTeachers. If you have any questions, please reach out to Leesa Bowie: leesa.bowie@bremertonschool.org.
Please help us spread the word.
New! Free online tutoring for grades 3-12!
We are pleased to offer free online tutoring through TutorMe for all Bremerton School District students in grades 3-12. Students can access TutorMe through Clever.
More information is available on the District's Family Technology Support website.
Gaggle Teletherapy: confidential, free online therapy
Learn more at www.BremertonSchools.org/Gaggle. Resources for staff wanting to refer students can be found in this shared folder.
Teachers: Please consider adding a Gaggle Teletherapy graphic to your Google Classroom and Google Site. Please link to www.BremertonSchools.org/Gaggle or https://www.bremertonschools.org/Page/8609.
PCHS Clinic at Mountain View Middle School
The clinic serves Bremerton School District students (preschool - 12th grade) and staff. Learn more at www.BremertonSchools.org/Clinic.
Check out this letter to the editor from Superintendent Aaron Leavell for School Board Appreciation Month!
Thank you Bremerton School Board Directors!
The video below was produced by the team at Naval Avenue and shared at the board meeting as well.
Shout-Out to Rick Cortes
We would like to give a well-deserved shout out to Rick Cortes, paraeducator and at Naval Avenue (NA) Early Learning Center. Rick has worked for the District for 15 years in multiple schools.
Volunteer Dolphin Patrol Director. A few of the Dolphin Patrol Projects the students especially enjoy are Virtual Dolphin Club and the Holiday Sing Along.
Rick is extremely community-minded. He has partnered with BKAT on multiple occasions, and co-founded Kitsap Music Project along with Naval Avenue's Pablo Flores. Another project he initiated is "A Night with the Superintendent" for which Rick will interview a panel of local superintendents. This project has been placed on hold due to the pandemic.
For three years he has been the NA Representative for United Way. This year his efforts put NA as the top contributor for the entire District, as well as the highest staff participation. Rick knows first hand how impacting United Way is. Years ago he was a recipient of United Way support, and then 9 months later he joined their board of directors. He continues to pay it forward in a big way.
Thank you Rick! Your hard work and dedication benefit not only our district, but the broader community!
Updated COVID guidance for schools
Looking for COVID information?
From DOH: Tested positive for COVID-19? What to do to take care of yourself and others
Now that the winter holidays have ended and variants are spreading quickly, more people are testing positive for COVID-19 every day. And no one likes getting sick. Luckily, many people — especially those who are vaccinated — can recover at home.
First things first: If you have symptoms of COVID-19, get tested as soon as possible. You should also get tested if you’ve been in close contact with someone who may have COVID-19. In this case, get tested five days after your last contact with them, even if you don’t have symptoms.
Visit our Testing Locator page to find testing sites near you, or consider buying an at-home test.
Test came back positive? You may be wondering what to do next. How should you care for yourself while you’re sick? How can you prevent spreading the virus to others? If you did test positive for COVID-19, the good news is there are steps you can take to help keep yourself and others safe.'
Read more from the Washington State Department of Health >>>
Grants for Washington State K-12 Public School Teachers!
Applications are now being accepted for the “Ellison Education Grants”. Grants are intended for K-12 public school teachers in Washington State. The Ellison foundation has awarded 66 grants and $288,000 to Washington State teachers the past five years. The Ellison Foundation will award grants ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 in the spring of 2022 (for use during the 2022-2023 school year).
Applications must be submitted by March 26th, 2022.
To learn more about the “Ellison Education Grants” please visit:
Now accepting applications!
Kitsap Strong and XParenting are seeking interested individuals (natural supports in the lives of our youth/children) to participate in a two-day virtual training and subsequent Community of Practice (CoP).
This experience is designed to empower participants with the skills and confidence to help children cope with the stress of the COVID-19 pandemic and social isolation. We believe every person can flourish when they have the support of caring and competent adults.
Excellent candidates for this FREE training opportunity include any/all “caring adults” who have relationships with children and are natural mentors (formal or informal) - youth leaders, teachers, coaches, scout leaders, faith & activity leaders, aunties/uncles, neighbors, and grandparents.
Click here for more information or to apply - and consider sharing this info with others you think might enjoy and benefit from this training!
Kitsap County Resources: HEAL Coalition
Did you know the Healthy Eating Active Living (HEAL) Coalition (one of the five networks of Kitsap Strong) created a webpage with an interactive map of resources for transportation, health care, food banks, clothing, free wifi, and other services? Check it out and share with others!
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Background photo: winter wonderland at MVMS (photo by Larry Steagall).
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