Recently, my grandson, a second-grade student at Wilkes, showed me his empty jar where he kept his “private money.”

He had contributed all he had to a fund to help retain his teacher, who had received his “pink slip” from the Bainbridge Island School District.

His teacher is one of several who shared the unfortunate fate of being ‘RIFed’ (reduction in force).

While very proud of my grandson, my reaction was a mixture of dismay and anger towards a situation in which education once again bears the brunt of the ill-considered actions of our State Legislature.

Unfortunately, such actions are quietly accepted and/or encouraged by society in general. This short-term view and the continued assault on education budgets jeopardizes the hopes of my generation that our children and grandchildren will have a secure future.

If there was ever a time that high-quality education was important to future survival, growth and prosperity in the U.S., now is that time.

The state our community must find better and more responsive ways to support education.

That a high-quality, energetic, and very effective teacher, who received recognition by the Kiwanis Club last year as “Educator of the Year” should be viewed this year as dispensable, suggests that improved criteria are needed for deciding who goes and who stays.

While many of the 12.6 full-time equivalents (about 5 percent of the 236 certificated FTEs at BISD) may be saved by the efforts of the Bainbridge School Foundation, all teachers must wonder why the system is being put through this grief once again.

Cuts and cuts and cuts have already been made, and now the system is really cutting into bone.

As the education standards and productivity of the U.S. continue to be eroded, the only short-term remedy seems, once again, to donate as much as one can to the Bainbridge School Foundation.

Once again, please help out and support the educational base of the island at www.bainbridgeschoolsfoundation.com.

L.L. Houston

Bainbridge Island