Every school day in Bethel begins with a simple guarantee: no child will go hungry. And this year, thanks to the hard work of our Child Nutrition staff, every student in the district qualifies for free breakfast and lunch. That's tens of thousands of meals prepared and served for free across the district.

When Bethel Middle School teacher Nelago Nuunyango tells her students that education can change their lives, she speaks from experience. Nuunyango’s own journey stretches from moonlit study sessions in rural Namibia to the halls at Pacific Lutheran University, and finally to the desks of her students at Bethel Middle.

News and updates from around the district.

This year we’ve seen a lot of news stories about school districts who are struggling to pay the bills. Neighboring districts saw budget cuts, layoffs, and state intervention in one case. But here at home, Bethel seems to be staying the course financially. How is that?

Thanks to forward thinking and conservative budgeting, our district has been able to weather these uncertain times, even as inflation and rising costs strained budgets across the state.

“What truly sets Bethel apart is how we’ve managed these challenges,” said Chief Financial Officer Christine Donnelly. “While other districts have faced serious setbacks, we’ve avoided those pitfalls by planning ahead and making responsible choices. Thanks to our careful budgeting and the hard work of our staff and leaders, we’ve been able to stay focused on what matters most – supporting our students, staff, and schools.”

Recently, our School Board held a Study Session to discuss student safety with a panel of staff members, including one of our School Resource Officers. The conversation centered around how we protect the physical and the emotional safety of our students.

When it comes to emotional safety, staff are always working to build relationships with students to help support them, and to remove barriers to their education. This is a job for all staff, including our counselors and social workers.

Counselors and social workers help students in a variety of ways, from referrals for anxiety, depression, and mental health issues, as well as anything that gets in the way of a student's education, including family and friend dynamics, and connecting students and families with community resources.

News and reminders from around the district.

Recently, our School Board held a Study Session to discuss student safety with a panel of staff members, including one of our School Resource Officers. The conversation centered around how we protect the physical and the emotional safety of our students.

Physical safety includes the measures we have in place in our schools to keep students safe. It also includes systems and staff whose job it is to protect, patrol and prevent incidents from happening.

Thank you, voters! Construction on the New Bethel High School broke ground in 2024 and is scheduled to be completed in 2026. At almost 300,000 square feet, the New Bethel High School is a massive project. Exterior brickwork is going up on the building, the student parking lot has been paved, and the new turf field and track look amazing!