To the editor:

Our family is very fortunate that our children have been educated in the Bainbridge Island School District. It’s a district with a strong sense of community and doing what’s right for the students.

As a community, we need to support our children by voting “yes” on the upcoming bond. Our kids passed through Blakely Elementary, and one now spends time in Building 100 on the high school campus. Both of these facilities are in poor condition and, in many ways, are struggling to function properly.

To see the buildings firsthand, you can attend the open houses at both schools on Jan. 23, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. As you walk through them, ask yourself if it’s an environment you would like to work or live in, nevertheless send our children to every day to learn.

Safety within the buildings is another critical issue. Just recently the Kitsap Sun published an online article regarding the Seattle Fault (search for “Kitsap Sun earthquake”). The fault passes through the south end of Bainbridge Island, and an earthquake on this line will be devastating to the region. The damage to Building 100 and Blakely Elementary would be very significant, as both were built in eras where building earthquake design was minimal. The safety of our children should be first and foremost, and they deserve to be in buildings that are safer than Blakely Elementary and Building 100.

Please vote “yes” for the 2016 school bond.

CRAIG AND SUNDI STAUFFER

Bainbridge Island