Bremerton school board suspends principal, investigation ongoing

The Bremerton School District board approved the leave of absence of Superintendent James Crawford on Thursday morning, citing an investigation into the use of the district’s computer network, questions about his responses to those concerns and the work culture within the district administration.

During a special meeting before a large and raucous crowd on Independence Day, July 4, the board also appointed Assistant Superintendent Garth Steedman as interim superintendent.

The audience of about 100 people erupted in boos and screams as the board took three votes in succession during a meeting that lasted about three minutes in total. The five-member board, led by Aly Rotter, voted unanimously to place Crawford on administrative leave, appointed Steedman and agreed to release a public statement.

That statement, sent via email and posted soon after on the district’s website, said the decision had been difficult and acknowledged that there had been inaccurate rumors and speculation in the community since it was announced that an investigation was underway.

“Given the preliminary findings of an investigation into allegations regarding Dr. Crawford’s use of the district’s network and his candor when given the opportunity to comment on that use, as well as the concerns we received regarding the tenor of Dr. Crawford’s interactions with district staff, we have determined that administrative leave is necessary and appropriate,” the statement said.

Board members Rotter, Carolynn Perkins, Karen Bolton and Jonee Dubois quickly left the podium after the meeting ended. Vice Board Chairman John Paul Hurley remained behind as the crowd lingered in the district’s West Bremerton boardroom, acknowledging that the quick action, including calling a meeting on a holiday, was due to information the board received verbally from legal counsel during a board meeting Wednesday morning that was also called only 24 hours in advance, as required by law.

“The concerns were so great that we felt time was not on our side,” Hurley said.

Hurley said the board expects to receive preliminary written information about the investigation in the coming weeks, but there is no timeline for the release of a full, publicly available report.

Members of the public in attendance reacted loudly to the board’s first vote to place Crawford on leave. Crawford, who was present and seated near the five board members, stood up immediately after the first vote and walked to the back of the room near supporters, then quickly left the room before the meeting adjourned.

As the meeting adjourned, shouts of “What for?” and “Recall the board!” were heard, and both Rotter and Bolton issued stern rebukes to the crowd, even threatening to vacate the room if order was not restored.

“A very disheartening meeting, a very angry meeting, this is ridiculous,” Bette Hyde, a former superintendent of the Bremerton School District and Crawford supporter, said after the meeting, criticizing that members of the public were not given enough time to address the board. “Look at these people. They are outraged.”

Dr. Crawford, a 1998 graduate of Bremerton High School with degrees from both Washington State and the University of Washington, was hired by the board in March 2023 and began his tenure as superintendent on July 1, 2023. Last February, he led the effort to pass a 25-year, $150 million bond to fund capital projects at schools across the district, in addition to a two-year levy for educational programs and operations that was also approved by voters, and several of his high school classmates were in attendance Thursday morning.

“I’m appalled,” said Barb Wright of Bremerton after the meeting. “I’ve had some conversations with the superintendent and I have a lot of respect for him. … We still have no idea (what happened). A meeting on the Fourth of July and it’s only 1-2-3. They rushed this through.”

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