To the editor:

Thumbing through the latest edition of The Spartan Standard, we came across the map of where our recently graduated high school class is going to be attending college — wow!

While some academic standouts are going to Dartmouth, Stanford, MIT, and The Wharton School at U Penn, the majority of this talented class will be attending very competitive colleges and universities: UW, WSU, Whitman, Occidental, the Claremont Colleges, USC, Emory, Baylor, Southern Methodist, University of Chicago, Kenyon, George Washington, Haverford, Bucknell, U.S. Coast Guard Academy, BU, BC and Bates to name only a few.

Frankly, these are schools any parent having paid the $27,000 tuition at the prestigious Lakeside School in Seattle would be thrilled to have their child attend. And our children got there for “free.”

Or did they? Think of the money your child’s PTO asked you to contribute year after year. Think of the sports and arts program fees you paid. Think of all the volunteer hours you put into your child’s classrooms, manning the book fair or helping out in the libraries or offices; it’s clear our public education system is not free.

In fact, due to the recent cuts in state funding, fees have multiplied in recent years as the Bainbridge Island School District has desperately tried to maintain a high quality of education for all its students.

So here’s the catch: the Bainbridge Island School District is still wrestling with a funding crisis. True, this year the district did not hand out any pink slips.

Do you know why? The Bainbridge Schools Foundation stepped up on behalf of our community and pledged to once again raise $1 million this year.

Anyone who has done fundraising knows it is a terrifying thing to pledge funding before having the money in the bank. Who knows if you’ll be able to raise it?

However, the message of the Bainbridge Schools Foundation to our community is this: We have long prided ourselves on the education we provide to our children. Many families move here specifically because they know we have one of the highest quality educational districts in the state.

But guess what? We need money to maintain this level of excellence, specifically yours.

If you have children in the district, we ask you today to donate to the Dollar A Day campaign online at www.bainbridgeschoolsfoundation.com.

Isn’t the future of your child — no matter how many you have — worth one dollar a day? If you no longer have children here in school, think of the education they received. Could you donate to support a child whose family perhaps cannot?

And if you have never had the joy of seeing your child matriculate through this dedicated line of teachers, administrators and volunteers, we know you do appreciate the community they create. In fact, more than 30 percent of our donations come from residents who do not have children in the district. Every island resident has a vested interest in keeping our schools superior.

We are passionate about the mission of the Bainbridge Schools Foundation to support and enhance quality education. Please join us and donate today. If you have any questions, please visit our website at www.bainbridgeschoolsfoundation.org or call the BSF office at 855-0530.

SARAH BRANDT-ERICHSEN, SARAH BULLOCK, MENDY DROKE, KATHIE MCKENZIE AND ANDREA JONAS PICKETT

Executive Committee

Bainbridge Schools Foundation