School funding topic of forum

The Bainbridge Island School District and Rep. Christine Rolfes will host a community forum titled “The Challenges in K-12 School Funding” at 7-8:30 p.m. Dec. 1 in the commons at Bainbridge High School.

Rep. Rolfes will discuss the current economic crisis and the legislature’s plans for reforming the K-12 funding system.

Supt. Faith Chapel will describe how the district has been affected by the state’s current economic crisis. Chapel will also discuss the $9 billion gap in state funding announced last spring, as well as the possibility of an additional $2.5 billion shortfall in the upcoming state budget.

Islander and attorney Tom Ahearne will discuss the current state of funding in K-12 in the first agenda item, “The Seeds of Crisis: Washington State’s Current System for Funding Schools.”