Dear Cle Elum-Roslyn Families, Staff, and Community,
Welcome back, Warriors!
Every school year brings new opportunities, but this one feels especially significant. As Cle Elum-Roslyn continues to grow, we are not only welcoming another outstanding group of students—we are preparing our district for the next generation of learners. From improvements in our classrooms and facilities to long-range planning for the future of our schools, there is a tremendous amount of positive momentum across our district, and I couldn't be more excited for the year ahead.
As Cle Elum-Roslyn continues to grow, we remain committed to continuously improving our schools, expanding opportunities for students, and preparing our facilities to meet the needs of future generations. Our focus remains the same—providing every student with an outstanding education while ensuring they are known by name and prepared for enrollment, employment, or enlistment after graduation.
One of the most significant milestones this summer was the Board of Directors' formal acceptance of the Facilities Committee's recommendation to remodel our high school into a comprehensive 7–12 campus while expanding and remodeling our elementary school. This recommendation reflects years of planning and community input as we prepare for the continued growth of our district. It also represents a strong commitment to being good stewards of public resources.
This vision is about much more than new buildings because of capacity issues we are facing, and 50 year old facilities. It is about providing students with science labs, STEM learning environments, and Career and Technical Education spaces that prepare them for today's high-demand careers, including health sciences, business, engineering, construction trades, and the skilled trades. It is also about providing our staff and students with learning environments that better support today's instructional practices and the outstanding work they do every day.
The Board continues refining the project as it prepares for a proposed bond measure scheduled for the February ballot. As designs continue to develop, there will be additional opportunities for staff, families, students, and our community to provide input. Look for us at major District events sharing this information. Our next town hall meeting on this topic is September 14th at 6pm at the central office Board Room.
This summer also brought several important improvements to our existing facilities. One of the largest projects has been installing air conditioning throughout the Elementary/Middle School building, providing cooling to classrooms that have not had it since the mid-1990s. This project was funded through the Educational Programs and Operations Levy approved by our voters in 2025. We chose not to make the same investment in the current high school because of the significant cost associated with retrofitting an older building (1970’s) while we continue planning for long-term modernization of that facility.
If you've noticed some brown athletic fields this summer, don't worry! We are completing a major upgrade to our irrigation system that will provide a much more reliable, efficient, and water-conscious system for years to come. We expect everything to be ready as fall practices begin. At the same time, we are making improvements across several athletic facilities, including expanding our practice field to accommodate boys soccer this spring, enhancing our mountain bike trail system, and continuing improvements to our varsity softball, middle school softball, and baseball facilities. These projects will improve safety, increase opportunities for students, and better serve our community.
Like districts across Washington, we continue to face increasing costs for insurance, utilities, transportation, and other expenses affected by inflation while educational funding continues to present challenges statewide. We remain committed to carefully managing taxpayer resources, refining our operations, and making thoughtful decisions that protect student learning while maintaining the high expectations our community has for its schools.
Finally, I encourage everyone to become involved in our schools. Whether volunteering in classrooms, serving as a substitute, helping with activities, or supporting one of our many programs, your involvement makes a tremendous difference. If you are interested in helping, simply reach out to your building principal—we would love to have you involved.
Thank you for your continued trust and support. I am incredibly excited for the year ahead and all that we will accomplish together.
Here's to another outstanding year!
John H. Belcher ("JB")
Superintendent of Schools
Cle Elum-Roslyn School District