Our school district is in a conundrum. In per pupil funding, Bainbridge sits in the bottom 20 percent of all Washington districts, while Washington itself ranks in the bottom 12 percent nationally.

Yet Bainbridge students consistently perform well academically and our schools win national awards for excellence. How does the district provide a robust learning environment with such low funding?

Simply, when choices affecting the operations budget are made, the district consistently makes frugal decisions that put student needs ahead of facility needs.

Responding to shortfalls in state education funding, the district cut $3.6 million from the operations budget over two years. While some reductions are sustainable, many are not.

The state accepted federal stimulus dollars, but reduced state funding by an even greater amount.

The district cut staffing at all levels, delayed purchasing curriculum, and principals and administrators took a voluntary cut in compensation. Only an amazing rally by the Bainbridge Schools Foundation rescinded pink slips for several teachers.

The operations budget is pared to the bone, and dollars to maintain schools are minimal.

Over the last two decades, the district has made prudent requests to the community to build schools for a growing student population. Mindful of taxpayers’ pocketbooks, it often deferred maintenance to other buildings.

By 2005, this deferred maintenance had taken a serious toll. Assessment showed overcrowding at the high school, two failing elementary schools, and critical repairs needed in many other buildings. Clearly, asking taxpayers to fund everything at once was unrealistic.

The district chose to spread projects over 15 to 20 years, with a commitment to keep school taxes stable. This strategy is working, as evidenced in this new bond request – increases in property taxes normally found with new bonds have been offset because old bonds are being paid off.

After the bond fell 19 votes shy of passing in May, the board listened to those who had voted no – then went back to the drawing board, beginning with a review of the educational values that provide the foundation for school building standards.

Updated demographic reports indicated our elementary student population will remain stable, or increase slightly over the next decade. A second professional cost estimate for Wilkes came in 2 percent less than the first.

Both estimates were discussed by a citizens’ review committee comprised of architects, engineers, construction professionals – and a school critic.

The consensus? Our hard-cost estimate was sound and our soft-cost estimate was reasonable given the pre-design stage of the building and volatile economic times.

A volunteer with a solid financial background researched comparable schools. His results showed the $32 million estimate for Wilkes is in the same ballpark as recently built schools around Puget Sound.

The 2005 facility assessment was updated. Ten million dollars would fund 25 percent of essential repairs to basic building systems – to fix roofs, heating, plumbing and electrical systems and replace well-worn fixtures like the 30-year-old carpet at Ordway.

Included is $1 million specifically targeted to energy conservation measures. Only after this extensive re-evaluation did the board decide to place the $42 million capital bond back on the ballot.  

When the community invests in a new school, it’s important that it’s done right to ensure optimal return on that investment. Research shows that construction accounts for only about 20 percent of a building’s lifetime cost, while 80 percent goes to maintenance and operations.

Spending dollars up front to increase longevity and operating efficiencies gives substantial payback over the entire life of the building.

Long-term saving benefits taxpayers and eases the burden on the district operating fund – allowing more dollars for teachers and the classroom. Wilkes will be built with the same quality standards evidenced at the new high school building.

The district’s capital facilities team, which was largely responsible for bringing that building in on time and on budget, will bring the same competent management to Wilkes.

Bainbridge students are taught to be critical thinkers, to research sources and objectively evaluate data.

Bainbridge voters will need to do likewise to sort through some misinformation that surfaced recently around this bond. Factual information can be found on the district’s Web site, www.bainbridge.wednet.edu.

Bainbridge Islanders can be proud to have a school district that stretches dollars, provides a quality education for children and builds schools that are long-lasting assets to the community.

Please join us and vote yes for schools in November.

The Bainbridge Island School District board: Mary Curtis, Patty Fielding, Mike Foley, Dave Pollock and John Tawresey.