My name is Amii Thompson. I'm honored to serve as Superintendent of BISD and proud to be part of such a caring and engaged community.
If you are new to the BISD, welcome. If you are a returning BISD family, welcome back!
Last year brought real challenges. We began August 2024 with hope and then navigated difficult news in October that led to spending freezes and significant reductions. This year, I remain hopeful—cautiously optimistic—and that optimism is grounded in clear systems, checks and balances, and a top-to-bottom understanding of our budget. In the next section of this newsletter, I share essential information about our current budget, staffing changes and the steps we’re taking to maintain fiscal responsibility.
While budget updates will remain important, I’m also eager to celebrate and share the positive work happening in classrooms and throughout our district.
As I have been reflecting upon the start of this school year, what I am most looking forward to is the coming together of our one collective BISD Community. Right now, maybe more than any time in recent history, there is an essential need to nurture and find strength in a community that cares deeply and holds shared values.
I came across a quote this summer that stood out to me and made me think about our community of over 500 staff members, just under 3,400 students and their families,
“Community does not necessarily mean living face-to-face with others; rather, it means never losing the awareness that we are connected to each other.” -Parker Palmer
One of the aspects that I love most about our district is seeing this quote in action every day. I can visualize walking into a building and seeing our students interacting with one another, with adults in all different roles in the school, and with classroom volunteers. I picture the jog-a-thon smiles and costumes, band concerts, theater performances, our Spartronics team, Friday Night Lights, choir concerts, and spirit weeks. I think about last winter and spring, the way in which our community came together to tackle the largest financial challenge we have ever faced, and to do it with compassion, and grace, and a deep commitment to the greater good.
Let this be the year that we feel an intentional nurturing of our community and of one another.
Wishing you and your families a wonderful start to the 2025-26 school year. I am so glad to be a part of this incredible community with you!
Take care,
Amii Thompson
Superintendent
Bainbridge Island School District
Budget Update
In my letter above, I referenced my cautious optimism which is informed by factual information, and is not just a mere feeling, or wish.
As you may have read about in my last newsletter, or have heard through the grapevine, we are ending our year with a fund balance of just over 1 million dollars! We set a low bar of ending with literally $1 dollar to avoid going into binding conditions, and luckily we far exceeded our goal. This was due to a few key factors:
Our special education safety net award coming in $600,000 over what we had budgeted
A one-time $50 per student allocation from the state
Continued reduced spending throughout the year, in particular this summer
A quick snapshot of our current budget picture for the year:
We will stay the course with reduced spending and living within our means of a balanced budget.
Ending 2024-25 with just over a million dollars sounds like a lot (it is!) but it is helpful to remember that it equates to just over 5 days cash on hand. While not yet where we ultimately want to be, it represents progress toward true financial stability, and our work will continue.
As of today (yes, today!) we have fully repaid the money that we borrowed last year from the Capital Fund.
We will be running a supplemental levy on the November ballot. Stay tuned for more specific information.
We have open contracts with all of our labor partners next year, and I fully anticipate an honest and open conversation about a plan for providing compensation while also building back our fund balance to a place that is fiscally healthy. These do not need to be mutually exclusive, and in fact, they cannot be.
I promise to continue to share financial information openly and frequently with all of you so that you can have confidence in where we are headed collectively.
Staffing:
While I can’t promise that everything will always be smooth sailing, I can promise that as challenges arise, I will approach them thoughtfully, work collaboratively to find solutions, and be transparent about the decisions we make.
An example of this occurred within the last week as I made some 11th hour staffing changes across K-12 in order to create solutions in some instructional spaces where the existing plan was just not going to work for our students or for our staff.
It is not unique to have situations that emerge in late August where we clearly need to add staffing and/or make some quick adjustments. However, what is unique is having to make these adjustments during a time of very limited fiscal capacity. Not only does it mean that I have to make very cautious decisions, it also means that I cannot make budget decisions with confidence until we are right at fiscal year end, which for us is August 31st.
The reality is, nothing is as straightforward as it may seem, and more often than not, I am assessing the cost of action vs. inaction, or more accurately, the cost gap between action vs. inaction. If I was to do nothing-not add any fractional FTE or make any staffing related changes, there is still a cost–between overload and various remedies, not to mention the impact on students, and the very real workload impact on staff. I take those fiscal and human costs into account and balance those against the cost of action. Due to some creative problem solving and very collaborative work with our administrative team and BIEA leadership, this weekend we were able to:
Add fractional FTE to high school departments who were facing multiple classes of over 35 students
Add one certificated librarian to focus on the 7-12 level in order to ensure our students have access to relevant resources and materials, knowing that we already have a solid plan in place for our K-6 students
Restore two staff members in the recall pool to their full FTE
Reassign two staff members who were split between two buildings to now both only work in one building
Recall up to another 1.2 FTE from the recall pool
These many moves helped our K-12 students and our staff, across several buildings. The cost gap between inaction and action in this example, was approximately one half of a certificated FTE.
I have been in many regional and state-wide meetings the past few months, and in every single instance, there has been mention of how our district has set the stage as the exemplar. How we came together, were radically transparent, worked collaboratively, wrestled through the hard realities of reductions-all the while honoring the deeply respectful relationships and trust that has been slowly built, and never losing sight of keeping our students at the center of all that we do.
We remain committed to keeping you informed about our budget and the steps we are taking toward fiscal stability through ongoing updates in BISD newsletters, board meetings, and other communication avenues.
Family Handbook 2025-2026
This is a one-stop resource for all the information you need about Bainbridge Island School District:
This information is also available in the Family Handbook section on our website, where it can be translated into the language of your choice.
Bus Routes for September & October
Our Transportation Department has been hard at work adjusting bus routes to accommodate the Head of the Bay detour through September and October.
⏰ Bus route times have changed for September and October—please check the BISD website for updated schedules.
🚦For the latest on the construction project and traffic mitigation, visit the City of Bainbridge Island (COBI) website. COBI will be working with BISD to ensure the new programmable light at Fletcher Bay and High School Road is timed to align with bus and school schedules.
Please check out the video below of Dane Fenwick walking through the bus routes planned for September and October.
Thank you for your patience as we navigate this together!
Every Day Counts: The Power of Showing Up
As we gear up for a new school year, we want to take a moment to highlight the importance of something simple—but incredibly powerful: showing up.
Why Attendance Matters
Students who attend school regularly are more likely to succeed academically, feel connected to their peers and teachers, and build strong habits that support lifelong learning. Research shows that students who miss fewer than nine days of school each year are significantly more likely to stay on track with grade-level expectations and graduate on time.
A Snapshot of Our Attendance Data
Here’s a look at average attendance rates from last year:
District-wide: 74.3%
BHS: 66.1%
Woodward: 74.3%
Sakai: 81.2%
Blakely: 81.5%
Ordway: 82.9%
xalilc: 82.6%
Odyssey: 80.3%
While we celebrate the strong attendance at many of our schools, we know there's always room for growth—and that every missed day is a missed opportunity to learn, connect, and grow.
A Routine for Success
One of the best ways families can support student success is by creating consistent morning and evening routines that support being on time and ready to learn. Set out clothes and supplies the night before, aim for early bedtimes, and talk with your child about what they’re looking forward to at school.
Together, We Can Make Every Day Count
Our message to families is simple and supportive: Your child’s presence matters. Every day in school is a new opportunity to explore, ask questions, build friendships, and discover strengths. Let’s work together to make attendance a priority and ensure every student has the chance to thrive.
Here’s to a great year of growth and learning—one day at a time.
Important Back to School Dates
Blakely, Ordway, x̌alilc
Parent/Guardian Night: Sept. 18. 1st & 4th Grades from 5:15-6:15 p.m., 2nd & 3rd Grades from 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Sakai
5th Grade Parent/Guardian Night: Sept. 16 from 5:15-6:30 p.m.
6th Grade Parent/Guardian Night: Sept. 17 from 5:15-6:30 p.m.
Odyssey
Odyssey K-8 Ice Cream Social: Sept. 5th 1:45-2:30
K-8 Odyssey Night: Sept. 18 from 6:30-8 p.m.
Woodward
Parent/Guardian Night: Sept. 30 from 6:30-8 p.m.
BHS
Spartan Start Up (All 9th Graders and those new to BHS): Sept. 2 at 8:45 a.m.; All returning students begin at 10:45 a.m.
Parent/Guardian Open House: October 16 at 6:30-8:30 p.m.
*9th and 12th grade Parents/Guardians are invited to attend specific grade level intro sessions at 5:30pm
EHHS:
All Student Breakfast and Orientation: Sept. 2 at 8:45 a.m.
9th and 12th Grade Parent/Guardian Open House: October 16 at 5:30 p.m.
10th and 11th Grade Parent/Guardian Open House: October 16 at 6:30 p.m.
REMINDER: The first day of school is on Tuesday, Sept. 2 for grades 1-12. The first day for kindergarten students is Friday, Sept. 5.
Back to School Sign
Print your Back-to-School sign, fill it out - snap a photo of your student, and email it to blockett@bisd303.org! We’d love to feature your pictures on our website and social media.
Let’s celebrate starting the new year right where you belong—at BISD!
Setting up your Parent Square Account
BISD uses ParentSquare to share district and school communications (such as this newsletter) with our families, staff and the community.
All parents/guardians with a student in our school system can set up their ParentSquare account using the same email address listed in Skyward/Family Access. This document walks you through the necessary steps.
Registering your ParentSquare account allows you to:
SET NOTIFICATION PREFERENCES Select "digest" if you want messages to all come in at the end of the day. Select "instant" if you wish to receive messages as they are sent by the teacher/school/district. (Instant is the preferred setting for many families.)
SET LANGUAGE PREFERENCES You can change the default language to one of 100 languages and the messages sent to you will be automatically translated into the language you select. See theinstruction document for details.
During School Hours, BISD campuses are closed to the public
Once school resumes on Tuesday, September 3rd, all school campuses are closed to the public during the school day. This includes tracks, fields and playgrounds.
Elementary Schools: 7:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.
Intermediate & Middle Schools: 7:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
High Schools: 8 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.
Thank you, community, for keeping our spaces safe for learning.
SEPTEMBER
1: Labor Day
2: First Day of School for Grades 1-12
5: First Day of School for Kindergarten
11: School Board Meeting
25: School Board Meeting
OCTOBER
9: School Board Meeting
30-31: K-6 Conferences (No School)
30: School Board Meeting
Stay Connected with BISD
Follow us on social media to stay up-to-date on what is happening within our school district.
Bainbridge Island School District does not discriminate in any programs or activities on the basis of sex, race, ethnicity, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, veteran or military status, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, homelessness, immigration or citizenship status, the presence of any sensory mental, or physical disability, neurodivergence or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability. The BISD provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups.
The following employees have been designated to handle questions and complaints of alleged discrimination:
Civil Rights Compliance Coordinator & Title IX Coordinator:
Kristen Haizlip, Associate Superintendent
206-780-1058
khaizlip@bisd303.org
Section 504/ADA Coordinators:
Annalisa Sanchez, Director of Student Services
206-780-1069
asanchez@bisd303.org
Maria Kuffel
206-780-1088
mkuffel@bisd303.org
8489 Madison Avenue North Bainbridge Island, WA 98110
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