Fired Bremerton Superintendent Demands $27.5 Million From School District

Bremerton School District is facing a $27.5 million demand from the superintendent it fired two years ago, with an attorney for James Crawford sending a formal letter accusing the district of breach of contract following his 2024 termination. The letter signals that Crawford is weighing a multi-million dollar lawsuit against the district he once led, according to the Kitsap Sun.

The demand letter functions as more than a threat on paper. Under Washington state law, individuals seeking monetary damages from a school district or municipal agency must file a formal tort claim notice and then wait a mandatory 60 days before a lawsuit can be filed in court, according to MRSC. That statutory window gives Bremerton School District a chance to evaluate its liability and potentially negotiate before Crawford's claim heads to a courtroom.

Crawford, a Bremerton High School alumnus, had completed only one year of a three-year superintendent contract he signed in March 2023 before the school board voted unanimously on June 26, 2024, against extending it. The board placed him on administrative leave on July 4, 2024, and formally voted to terminate his employment on August 29, 2024, just days before classes resumed, according to Kitsap Daily News.

Two Investigations Fueled the Board's Case

The board's decision to remove Crawford followed two separate investigative reports completed in the summer of 2024. An independent investigation by the law firm Haggard & Ganson LLP, finished in July 2024, found that Crawford allegedly accessed and viewed school board members' emails without authorization on 55 separate occasions between January and June of that year, per the same Kitsap Daily News account. The board had hired the firm in June 2024 after opening an end-of-year executive review of Crawford.

A second report, a workplace environment investigation completed in August 2024 by attorney Noel Treat, cited a reported pattern of “inappropriate expressions of anger,” hostility, extreme stress, and dishonesty among district staff under Crawford's leadership. That report was based on formal interviews with 15 current and former Bremerton School District employees, the outlet notes.

Crawford's Supporters Point to the Bond Measure

Crawford's defenders emphasize a different chapter of his single year in the superintendent's chair. During his tenure, Bremerton voters in early 2024 approved a $150 million school construction bond — the district's first successful bond measure in 19 years — alongside a local replacement levy, according to the Bainbridge Island Review. Three former Bremerton mayors have publicly credited Crawford with uniting community stakeholders to secure that funding.

The dismissal also drew community pushback beyond Crawford himself. In August 2024, a group called Citizens for Bremerton School Board Transparency, joined by former mayor Lynn Horton, filed a lawsuit against the district alleging public records violations and improper secrecy during the investigation into Crawford, according to FOX 13 Seattle. Crawford's hiring in 2023 had been enthusiastically backed by former city leadership.

District Has Weathered Legal Costs Before

This is not the first time Bremerton School District has had to account for legal liabilities in its budget. Financial audit records for Bremerton School District No. 100-C show that as of May 2024, the district was managing a multi-year legal settlement agreement requiring $1.475 million in direct payments across the 2022–2025 school years following insurance coverage denials, and the district had to retain specialized legal counsel to negotiate coverage terms with its carrier.

Leadership has since moved on twice over. The board appointed Donna Dearin-Colosky as interim superintendent for the 2024–2025 academic year while conducting a statewide executive search, according to the Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber. In April 2025, the board unanimously selected Dr. Slade McSheehy, who had previously led the Vashon Island School District, as the permanent superintendent under a three-year contract starting July 1, 2025, at a base annual salary of $230,000.

Bremerton School District now operates 11 campuses — six elementary schools, one middle school, two high schools, and four preschool sites — serving roughly 4,500 students across Kitsap County. Any settlement or legal defense costs stemming from Crawford's demand would ultimately be borne by that public system, which is still working through the fallout from his one turbulent year at the helm.