BSD Family Updates

All parents, adult family members or other adults in the community (21+) are welcome to attend!

Vea el gráfico en español aquí.

The window to refer students for Bremerton School District’s Highly Capable (HiCap) services opens December 1, 2025, and closes March 15, 2026. Families, teachers, and community members are encouraged to refer students for consideration.

HiCap services help ensure advanced learners are challenged, engaged, and supported in reaching their full potential. Students in grades 1–5 may receive services in their neighborhood schools through clustered classrooms, while students in grades 6–12 benefit from rigorous courses and advisory support in literacy and/or math.

Families will be notified of screening results by early May, and identified students will begin receiving services in the 2026–27 school year. Learn more on the HiCap page of the Bremerton School District website or by contacting your child’s principal or school counselor.

Looking for community resources for your child or family? We invite you to visit our Child & Family Resource Guide linked from our website (look in the "Services & Support" menu). If you have additions or suggestions for this guide, please send them to brigitte.vernon@bremertonschools.org.

Levy funding is critical to maintaining programs and services that are not fully funded by the state, such as athletics, and fine arts, school security, and staff positions that directly serve students.

This is not a new tax. If approved, it would replace a previously approved local funding measure that is set to expire at the end of 2026.

A: An educational programs and operations levy, also called an EP&O levy or an enrichment levy, is a funding measure that helps bridge the gap between educational programs and services that the state does not fund or underfunds.

A: Bremerton School District has both a bond and a levy, which support the Bremerton School District in different ways. Bonds are for buildings, and levies are for learning, but both are critical.

Bond

In February 2024, Bremerton School District voters approved a 25-year bond to fund construction, major renovations, and facility improvements across the district. Learn more about Bremerton’s Bond Program here. Bond funds can only be used for capital projects like:

• Building new schools or additions
• Major renovations and modernizations
• Replacing roofs, HVAC systems, and other infrastructure
• Safety and security upgrades to facilities

Levy (Educational Programs & Operations)

The EP&O levy funds educational programs and supports the costs of staff who keep our schools running. Levy funds support:

• Teacher and staff salaries (including 100% of coaches/advisors, 89% of safety officers, and portions of teachers, counselors, and support staff)
• Extracurricular activities like athletics, theater, and music

Why both matter:

The bond ensures our students learn in safe, modern facilities. The levy ensures we have the teachers, staff, programs, and services that bring those buildings to life. The EP&O levy makes up approximately 15% of Bremerton School District's total operating budget. Without it, the district would need to make cuts to staffing, programs, and services that directly impact student learning and experiences.

A: Get information on the proposed replacement EP&O Levy on the District website at www.BremertonSchools.org/Levy.

Brr! It is getting cold outside! We want to make sure that our staff and families are prepared and know what to expect should we have weather-related school delays or closures!

We make every effort to make the decision about school closures due to winter weather by 5:30 a.m. (or sometimes even the night before, if possible).

We will communicate information and updates about weather impacts on school via:

• ParentSquare (email, text messages & app notifications - based on parent preferences)
  • Community members can sign up for inclement weather notifications via ParentSquare.
• District website
• District social media: @BremertonSchools on Facebook and @BremertonSD on Instagram.
• Flash Alert text messages (sign-up here)
• District News and Information phone line at 360.473.1002 #1 (English) or #2 (Spanish)
• Local media (Kitsap Sun. Kitsap Daily News, and Seattle TV and radio)

Important: We do not send out early morning "robo calls" for snow days or winter weather delays. If a decision is made to delay or cancel school the night before, we will notify families and staff via ParentSquare and robo call that evening.

Federal Impact Aid funds compensate the District for the loss of local tax dollars due to families living in tax exempt federal property in the Bremerton area. We receive approximately $300,000 in Impact Aid funding each year!

Every fall the Bremerton School District must apply for Federal Impact Aid funds from the U.S. Department of Education. The information must be collected annually with a form that includes a parent signature.

Federal Impact Aid funds are used for basic education programs district wide and support all our students.

It is critical that we receive this completed form information from every household in the District (one per family).

A: While both forms are crucial, they serve different purposes. With Impact Aid, we are required to follow the federal government's specific timeline for collecting that information. The CNEEB form is collected earlier because it's used to verify your family's eligibility for a number of important benefits, including free ASB cards and discounts on school fees. This allows us to provide those benefits to our students right away, without waiting for the federal Impact Aid window later in the fall.

• December 22-January 2: Winter Break (no school)

View and/or download the 1-page academic calendar or the District's 12-month electronic calendar (in English or Spanish).

Vea el gráfico en español aquí.

See what school and community events are happening at the Bremerton High School Performing Arts Center at www.bhs.bremertonschools.org/pac.

Email: communications@bremertonschools.org
Website: www.BremertonSchools.org
Phone: 360-473-1000
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