We are parents of two recent Bainbridge High School grads. Our daughters received a first-rate education in the Bainbridge Island School District. We believe their education would have been completely different – and probably not as good – if they had not received an excellent head start at their primary school.

Even though our kids are now in college, we are voting for the school bonds that are on the Nov. 3 ballot. Even though we will no longer directly benefit from the improvements the bonds will fund, we’re voting yes for several reasons.

The bond is needed now because it will fund major upgrades throughout the district, including replacing Wilkes Elementary School, which is more than 50 years old and very expensive to operate and maintain.

The alternatives (including doing nothing) are not viable because if we delay making these improvements, it will just cost more later. In fact, now is exactly the time because we’ll get more bang for our buck in a down economy. The improvements are a good long-term investment because the new Wilkes Elementary School will be designed to be green, energy-efficient and low maintenance, meaning that fewer classroom funds will have to be diverted to pay for maintenance and repairs.

The school district was on time and on budget with the “200 Building” and we have no reason to doubt that they will continue to be good stewards of our funds for these projects.

Good schools contribute to Bainbridge Island’s high quality of life. During the years that our daughters were in the school system, our lives revolved around the schools. The social events we attended were largely school-related functions, and we count numerous parents, teachers and administrators among our close friends.

A new Wilkes will play a large role in stabilizing property values and contribute to the community in many other ways.

Brian and Wendy Danzig

Bainbridge Island