Editor’s note: Normally we limit letters from letter-writing campaigns like this one from the Bainbridge Island Public School Supporters to two a week and spread them out over several weeks. But due to a processing error we just received these letters so to be fair we are running them all this week before the Feb. 13 election.
Letters in support of Bainbridge Island School District levy measures
To the editor:
Ballots have dropped for our election Feb. 13 – please remember to vote. As a BISD director, I have been speaking to the community about budget issues, and it cannot be stressed enough about how important these two levies are to the continued excellence of our island schools. They are replacements for expiring levies and help our district continue to provide all the services, technologies and programs that the state does not pay for (state support is approximately 74% of our budget and in no way supports all the required and needed educational programming of any school district).
For more information, please visit the district website at www.bisd303.org and look for the Levy FAQs. Fellow islanders – thank you for your continued support of our great students. Our community has consistently approved our levies by wide margins as they know that great schools make great communities and great communities support great schools.
Mark D. Emerson
Bainbridge
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To the editor:
I am a graduate from Bainbridge High School’s class of 2023. I am writing to you about the Technology Levy and the Enrichment and Operations Levy, and to hopefully convince readers to support them as they provide great benefits to students.
While I was a student, I was a member of the band program. The band community is supportive, and I made many close friends there. Marching Band was a program that encouraged hard work and leadership. All the band programs provide members with invaluable skills and connections.
Additionally, the use of Chromebooks was incredibly convenient and helpful while doing schoolwork. Having access to all the resources of the internet to assist with my learning was invaluable, and ensuring that everyone has equal access to technology is important for equality in the classroom.
For those reasons, I hope that everyone will understand the importance of continuing to support these levies and will join me in voting “yes” for them on the ballot.
Anika Toma
Bainbridge
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To the editor:
My time shape shifting between Whale, Salmon, Wildcat and Spartan during my journey in the BISD ended in 2022. The tools, staff and experiences the district provides prepared me to continue my education at the University of Southern California as a proud Trojan cheerleader. As a young Wilkes Whale, I entered the digital world using computers and ipads to access digital learning programs like ST Math that let students experience different learning styles. Ever since those years a technological focus toward education has followed to adapt to the rapidly advancing digital world.
Being given my own chromebook – a virtual playground for research, writing emails, content review – unlocked new personal values as the district emphasized responsibility with technology. Those programs carry a deep connection to my education, but the district also had enrichment programs too: such as clubs, sports, counseling or bus rides. Through things like those, students are able to learn personal skills that help prepare them for life after graduation.
These stepping stones toward adulthood are achieved with the support of so many adults that care for the youth on the island. Getting involved with the district’s athletic programs resulted in me becoming a collegiate athlete. In student government, I got to work closely outside of school with advisors who also tended to be staff or teachers. You can probably guess who advises all the clubs too. At the end of the day, it is the incredible staff that creates a positive journey. Invest in Bainbridge’s youth, and vote yes for schools.
Addy Ledbetter
Bainbridge
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To the editor:
I am a 2023 graduate of Bainbridge High School, and now a freshman at Western Washington University. Each step I take into my future is influenced by the education I received in BI. Money for many of the valuable experiences in our schools are not funded by the state, and so our local levies are necessary to create the quality education we have.
From kindergarten through my senior year, I was cared for and served by Bainbridge schools in many ways. I and my peers were supported by well-trained counselors and compassionate nurses when we were struggling mentally or physically. Clubs made possible by funding for advisors and school sports enriched my experience. They provided community and a sense of belonging that I carry with me today. Current students deserve the same quality education.
Technology plays a pivotal role in education. I cannot tell you how many times I went to the library for help trouble-shooting issues on my chromebook. That I had a school-provided chromebook was a huge support to my learning. Free wifi, cyber security, smartboards, internet connection; all of those essential services are at risk if we do not pass the Feb. 13 technology levy.
All students deserve a high-quality education with access to all the tools they need to help them thrive. Our community has the ability to ensure this happens. Throughout turmoil and conflict, I have seen teachers, administrators and students stand up for what they believe in. They work every day to help our district flourish.
Please join me in voting yes for these levies.
Mia Hale
Bainbridge
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To the editor:
I urge my fellow islanders to support the Enrichment & Operations Levy and the Tech Levy.
Having watched my children progress through Bainbridge public schools and into promising adulthood, I am keenly aware that they were the beneficiaries of a strong public educational foundation because previous BISD levies were approved. When my kids were younger, residents whose adult children had matriculated through BISD had the foresight to continue to vote for the levies because strong schools are fundamental to a strong community. It is my time to pay it forward.
Did you know that state and federal funding only covers 80% of BISD’s general budget? BISD absolutely requires supplementary funding beyond basic government funding to continue providing robust education and related student and staff services. The two levies fund a range of programs that benefit our students. Successful levies provide the financial support for counselors and nurses, reading and math remediation, cybersecurity measures and much more.
I support these levies as the programs are critical for students who face an increasingly stressful and technically complex world. As a finance professional, I also reviewed the financial impact information associated with the levies. I believe that the benefits to BI resulting from investment in local public education far outweigh the average estimated cost increase per home of about $100 a year per levy.
Tara Beatie
Bainbridge
Follow the money
To the editor:
They say “follow the money.” Well here goes: legal fees for the school district since the 2018-19 school year:
2018 – $55,214.33
2019 – $92, 785.02
2020 – $69,954.10
2021 – $89, 314.32
2022 – $150,950.58
Five years and legal fees have basically tripled. On top of those numbers…just over a year ago the district hired a Public Records officer. Turns out she is a full-fledged attorney. So add her salary to those numbers. I emailed the woman in charge of the money for the district about legal fees over the last few years…no big deal I thought… and the response was a rather formal notification that a freedom of information request had been filed, and it turns out the person who was handling it is an attorney.
What? Hard to believe it makes any sense to hire an attorney to respond to mundane requests for basic information from the community. Clearly the latter half of 2020 was challenging for everyone in schools with the shutdowns. But since then rather than things settling down there seems to have been an explosion of requests from the inside the district for legal advice. The current school board has issues, and it is costing us.
Thomas Greene
Bainbridge
Community comfort
To the editor:
There are advantages to raising an intellectually challenged child on an island. We raised Alexandria Susan Chadwick here.
Our confused newly adopted 4-year-old Alex found comfort in Town and Country staff, giggling as they scanned her sticker-barcoded hand and deemed her priceless. The Bainbridge schools gathered her in for learning, inclusive fun, and forever friendships. St. Cecilia’s and Rolling Bay Churches gave the child lessons in love carried on in adulthood by her Bah’ai community and her Virginia Villa neighbors.
Also, Alex made you, Bainbridge Island, better, too. When she ordered pizza and you couldn’t understand her, you tried to get it right. When she walked down the street frowning a black cloud, you said “hello” to her despite it. Frustrated, you held true to neighborliness, to island community. She was hard to figure out and pure joy when you got it right. We know it. We, too, became better because of Alex. She stretched us until we cried and showed us love we will never forget. Her impish, beautiful smile was golden.
Acute pneumonia took our Alex on Aug. 27, 2022. Now she lies in an island cemetery. She is permanently Island now. We are devastated and grateful to you.
Kent and Cathy Chadwick
Bainbridge
Not historic
To the editor:
Signs proclaim, “Do not demolish the historic fire-police station.” But how is this building historic, other than a few memories of nostalgia?
The Historic America Building Survey and state Office of Historical Preservation have four possible reasons.
1. Is the building associated with an important historical event? None that I’m aware of.
2. Is it associated with any significant person? Again, none that I’m aware of.
3. Does the building embody a distinctive design from the past? It presents no distinct stylistic character. Its method of construction is not unique. It is not the work of a recognized master architect. The design does not demonstrate any artistic value. It is not a distinguished entity in an ensemble of buildings.
4. Owing to its location or singular characteristics, does it represent an established and familiar visual feature in the neighborhood? Its hodge-podge design and prominent site at the gateway to Bainbridge Island is certainly an important place. But not of the fine quality one would expect in a civic building. Compared to the nearby BI Museum of Art the site begs for fine design, formed at street level to be responsive to the shape of the street-scape, all arranged in some intentional and harmonious whole.
No, this building does not rise to even one measure of “historical.” Would all of this heat and bother have been dampened if the city had simply demonstrated, as I have tried, through HABS-type evaluation, that demolition is entirely acceptable?
T. William Booth
Bainbridge
Feel the power
To the editor:
Your story (Jan. 17, 2024, “Students learn they have the power to make change”) was a strong, encouraging piece. I am proud of these students. And I feel for them. Their efforts need support from us adults. The issues they are concerned about are real. The one that grabs me the most is climate chaos because it’s just so big and impacts their futures profoundly. We are making progress at the national, state and local levels, but we have more to do.
I am most proud of Citizens’ Climate Lobby, whose mission is “building the political will for the climate solutions we all need.” And that means a livable future. Let’s all feel our power and let that power resonate with political action so that young people will feel positive impacts from strong nonpartisan legislation. Our elected representatives, especially at the national level, need to hear from us. We do have the power to make change.
Bobbie Morgan
Bainbridge
Keep Odyssey
To the editor:
Our family moved to Bainbridge Island in part because of the Odyssey Multiage Program. First grade at Odyssey was a welcome relief. The educational program at Odyssey allows our son to thrive in ways he could not at a traditional school.
Recently, a plan was proposed at the School Consolidation Advisory Committee. It involves splitting Odyssey K-8 between portables at Ordway and classrooms, with students traveling to Commodore Options Campus for lunch and PE. That is an estimated 30 minutes roundtrip, or 90 hours of lost instruction time per year, minimum. While Odyssey families are committed to the school district, the district must also value Odyssey’s role. It’s a haven for children who struggle in conventional settings, offering an innovative, research-backed education.
The scenario is concerning, especially considering Eagle Harbor High’s impact, where 38% of students had disabilities in 2022-23, according to OSPI data.
Former superintendent Peter Bang-Knudsen cited steady enrollment loss, but OSPI data shows relative stability (3,854 in 2010-11 vs. 3,810 in 2019-20), with recent declines largely due to the COVID pandemic. Recovery takes time, and school closures or consolidations only hinder it. The state’s funding for public schools is insufficient, and Gov. Jay Inslee’s recent budget barely scratches the surface. While consolidations may appear fiscally prudent, they often result in inequitable outcomes.
Claire Richards
Bainbridge
Board one voice
To the editor:
I ran for school board this time around and lost. A member of the board came up to me at the T&C after the election and said, “Condolences.” He was friendly but I thought his comment was a little odd… for losing an election…condolences, “Sympathy with a person who has experienced pain, grief or misfortune” (American Heritage Dictionary). I responded that I saw it as a win…nothing to be sad about.
Thousands of islanders voted for me and I said I hoped the board won’t ignore them. He assured me they weren’t. But it seems to not be ignored means something unexpected to this school board. School boards of the past valued multiple voices at the table. Not any more. This board is unfortunately acting more like an autocratic politburo where “second opinions” are not tolerated… I’m afraid the thousands of islanders who voted for me are indeed not being ignored by this board but not in a way you’d hope.
Instead of being included in the discussion to bring diversity of thought and opinion and transparency to the table this board sees the loyal opposition as a voice that needs to be put down.
Thomas Greene
Bainbridge
Support needed
To the editor:
As a Bainbridge High School teacher, a parent of two BHS grads, and a graduate myself, I urge you to vote yes to renew our schools’ levies Feb. 13. We in the BISD schools depend on our community to stand behind us as we face today’s education challenges.
Even though the state provides funding for “basic education,” educating our kids costs a lot more. When I ask my students to write an essay or watch a French-language tutorial on their devices, I can do so knowing that the technology levy ensures every kid has a chromebook to use, regardless of family income.
And when students in my class struggle, I know my colleagues and I can put together the right academic, psychological or social-emotional support, all thanks to funds from our E&O levy. I can’t emphasize enough that I would never be able to provide the quality of education my students need and deserve without the colleagues, programs and equipment funded by these levies.
Your continued support means so much to all of us. Please show our community’s kids that you want the best for them by voting yes.
Emily Bayley Eigen
Bainbridge
Not worth it
To the editor:
I disagree with the Bainbridge Historic Preservation Commission thinking the old police station is a historic building that should be preserved. It’s a very ordinary 1940-50’s structure whose only distinction is its location and its plain clock tower that frequently displays the wrong time. It is familiar to those who pass it every day on the way to or from the ferry, but it is not exceptional.
The cost of moving it and/or retrofitting it to withstand an earthquake and become disabilities compliant would just be money wasted. We should concentrate our efforts into what makes Bainbridge Island exceptional—our parks, trails and green spaces. Let’s continue to support the Land Trust and the Parks District. Let’s get the Sound to Olympics Trail completed across the island.
Gary Pettersen
Bainbridge
Leave mushrooms
To the editor:
Lately, I’ve run into parks visitors carrying plastic shopping bags of mushrooms out of Gazzam and the Grand Forest. They frequently meet like-minded foodie foragers in the parking lot to talk about identifying/cooking their catch, and how much money their haul would be worth, if purchased. The parks are not open-air markets provided for your personal consumption – they belong to all of us, and, perhaps more importantly, to their natural inhabitants.
Gazzam is a “Nature Preserve.” Foragers have to leave the established trails (prohibited) and trample the woods to find the mushrooms, which are part of the greater natural ecosystem relied upon by the flora/fauna in the parks – you’re taking their food for your dinnertime bragging rights. The displayed sense of entitlement here is sobering. Stripmining mushrooms from the parks is prohibited. “Unauthorized cutting and removal of plant material or other natural resources is prohibited.”. Please stop mushrooming in our parks.
Chris Neal
Bainbridge
