To the editor:
We write to enthusiastically support the proposed capital bond issue. Our three sons finished K-12 in Bainbridge schools and we cannot think of a better investment than to improve our facilities for the next generation of students.
By any statistical metric, our schools do an outstanding job. Equally important, on an individual level the graduates of Bainbridge over the past decade are already making an impact in fields as diverse as education, rocket design, filmmaking, computer engineering, medicine and the military. That record testifies to a robust and diverse school system and great teachers.
The district has achieved these distinctions while being a careful steward of the funding that they receive. The Washington State OSPI website provides a statewide summary of per student spending that includes general funding, capital, debt service, and transportation which averages $9,432 per student. On Bainbridge we spend $8,971, almost $500 less per student. The differences are even more apparent if one compares Bainbridge to North Kitsap, which spends $9,782 per student. The King County average for all districts is $10,232.
The district has done a good job on executing capital projects. The 200 Building at the high school and Wilkes Elementary have both been great additions to our school system. The district has delayed the much needed auditorium for many years and now is the time to act.
Finally, while the Review has not taken an editorial position on the capital bond, we are concerned about the language used in “news coverage.” The most recent article states that the current campaign has raised only a “shadow” of prior campaigns and has only a single individual donor.
Given that the biggest donor is the parent teacher organization, it is clear that many, many individuals have contributed.
Further, the fact that the bond campaign has funds on hand indicates that the bond committee has been prudent in its spending. The suggestion that the amount of donations is a “bellwether” of the success of the campaign is unsubstantiated speculation. One only need look at the lists of individual endorsements published in the Review to see the breadth of support for the bond. We hope that in the future the Review can confine its editorializing to the opinion pages.
We look forward to seeing the much needed new Blakely Elementary School and the new BHS 100 Building in the near future.
BART AND ESME FREEDMAN
Bainbridge Island
