VASHON ISLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT

I am so tired of the school administration whining about funding. This has been going on for far too long. Our superintendent needs to learn how to write a budget based on known income. Not what he thinks or wishes we were receiving.

Stop deficit spending! Stop giving out raises the district cannot afford. Stop paying consultants you do not listen to. Stop importing off-island kids. Look at who is here and what we have.

We need to think like the small district we are. We should eventually look at shutting down McMurray, the oldest school. Consolidate enrollment into Chautauqua (K-6), and Vashon High School (could become a junior/senior high school for 7-12). Personnel could be shifted as needed. Keep support staff and hire a superintendent who has vision and can write a balanced budget without filling his own pockets first.

The deficit amount should be embarrassing to administrators. This is taxpayer money and it should be spent responsibly and with accountability.

Elizabeth Brezynski

VASHON ISLAND FIRE & RESCUE

A grateful shout-out to the excellent EMT crew at Vashon Island Fire and Rescue (VIFR) for their professionalism and medical skills at making quick assessments and their courtesy to Vashon residents seeking/needing their help.

Urged by a friend to have some worrisome symptoms checked out, I reluctantly went to the VIFR station and pressed the emergency button. I was immediately attended to, and my symptoms were taken seriously. They respectfully insisted that my symptoms needed further medical testing at an ER and that they were just not going to allow me to drive home and sleep on it to see if I felt better in the morning. One technician looked at his watch and said: There is a boat leaving in 15 minutes. We can get you on it. No time to linger. The University of Washington ER confirmed the need for further testing.

I am so grateful for the professionalism, knowledge and respect the EMT team showed me and the seriousness with which they took my symptoms.

On an island with limited access to medical care and an unreliable ferry system, VIFR’s EMTs are lifesavers. Let us never forget that.

Lotta Gavel Adams

STUDENT PROTESTS

My name is Mark Goldman, and just for the record, I want to say here that I agree with and am thankful to all the students at many colleges and universities across the country who are protesting the United States and Israel for committing genocide against the Palestinian people.

If you pay close attention to what’s going on, we can all learn a lot about what we previously might have misunderstood about the world we’re now living in, its people, and its institutions.

Mark Goldman