As our community is painfully aware, the Bainbridge Island School District is faced with a $2.2 million budget shortfall for the 2009-10 school year. As a result, pink slips have already been issued to 17 treasured teachers.
Many may know that there is actually something we CAN do to help remedy this situation.
The Bainbridge Schools Foundation has established the “Help Save Our Teachers” campaign and is able to take donations from the community – 100 percent of the donations will directly fund teacher salaries.
With a daughter in elementary school, it is obviously in our family’s interest to support this important cause.
We hope many of you will feel the same – whether you have a child currently enrolled in BISD or will in the future, or if you just want to help maintain one of the key reasons many people choose to live on Bainbridge: quality educational services.
This issue affects our local economy – property values, the success of island businesses – as well as the immediate and long-term future of our children. The more we give, the more teachers we can save.
Please consider giving any amount to the Bainbridge Schools Foundation (www.bainbridgeschoolsfoundation.org) by June 30. You can write a one-time check or pledge a gift that is paid over time.
A challenge to parents and caregivers of students currently in BISD: If 100 percent of us give a donation (of any size), what a tremendous demonstration of our commitment to our own children, all the beloved teachers who nurture them each day, and the entire community!
In addition to the foundation’s campaign, parents have also organized a community-wide sale to raise additional funding for teacher salaries. The Save Our Teachers Sale will take place on Saturday, June 13 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Wilkes Elementary.
Gently-used items such as furniture, clothing, bikes, household items, books, etc., can be dropped off at Wilkes beginning Friday, June 12 after 4:30 p.m. (Please no computers, televisions or big appliances.) If you can volunteer, please contact Karen West at west.spence@speakeasy.net or 206-780-5774.
A special thank you to the individuals, businesses and nonprofit organizations that have already shown wonderful support for our teachers and kids!
Kerry Lavigne
Manitou Beach Road
