North Mason School Briefs

Board approves Sand Hill Elementary emergency repairs

The North Mason School Board authorized emergency replacement of a fire control panel at Sand Hill Elementary at a special meeting July 26.

“There are not parts easily available or even available at all,” so replacement was not an option, Superintendent Dana Rosenbach said at the meeting.

The board contacted the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction because the $88,780.50 needed for the panel was not in the district’s budget, according to Rosenbach.

Board members agreed to declare an emergency, which is required to obtain repair pool grant funds, according to district documents.

“The funds will only be used to replace the failed fire panel,” the document states.

OSPI approved the funds but the money could not be released without a vote from the board, Rosenbach said.

The panel failed due to age, according to Rosenbach.

Bird Electric, a Poulsbo company, will handle the replacement.

“They came in with a great bid,” Joan Moore, director of facilities, said.

“It’s a company that we already use and they’re very reputable,” she said.

The work will begin right away, starting with planning and permitting, according to Rosenbach.

“Should this not be done by the first day of school … we would run school on a regular basis but we would have a fire watch. That would mean staff would be doing specific walk throughs of the building 24/7 to make sure that there were no signs of any potential fires,” Rosenbach said.

Moore said Bird Electric has made the project a priority and she thinks replacement should happen before school starts Aug. 28.

New Belfair Elementary principal

Pamela Klusman will be the new Belfair Elementary principal. Klusman earned two bachelor’s degrees from California State University and a Masters of Education degree from Western Washington University. Klusman was an elementary teacher from 2014-2022. She has been an assistant-principal for the Arlington School District since 2022, according to the NMSD website.

Former Belfair Elementary Principal Jason Swaser resigned after accepting the position in June.

“After serving our students with dedication and passion, Principal Swaser has decided to step down and has made a career change in a neighboring district.​ During his tenure, Principal Swaser made significant contributions to our North Mason school community, fostering a positive learning environment and supporting both students and staff. We appreciate his hard work and commitment,” Rosenbach wrote in a statement when Swaser resigned.