Vashon Island School District is facing one of its toughest budget crises in years. Due in part to a significant decline in state spending for schools, the small district, with an annual budget of around $14 million, suddenly has a yawning financial chasm before it — a $1 million budget gap that it can fill only one way: by letting teachers go.

Thus, last week, the pink slips went out — several of them to those newest to the ranks of education. And while it’s not universally true, many of those new teachers are among the school district’s most spirited and energetic — teachers “dumb enough,” as just-laid-off fourth-grade teacher Andy James jokingly put it, to try things the veterans know better than to attempt.

It’s an enormous loss — and a vexing question not only for Vashon but for school districts across the country: How do we attract the vibrancy of people new to the profession if the threat of pink slips constantly hangs over them? And how do we do so while maintaining the strength of the statewide teachers’ union, an association that has proven critical in ensuring a living wage and higher quality of life for members of this vital profession?

There aren’t easy answers. Indeed, we at The Beach-comber can’t even presume to know how to resolve an issue that has plagued the public school system for years. But it seems critical that those who work in the world of education policy — from those active in the Washington Education Association to lawmakers and administrators — work together in an effort to end these vicissitudes, a roller-coaster ride that isn’t fun for anybody.

Fortunately for us here on Vashon, the district’s schools remain a powerful lure for young teachers. We have bright students, engaged parents and a strong administration — the ingredients many young teachers look for in a school.

What’s more, most of those who join the ranks of this under-appreciated but critical profession are deeply committed to teaching. And on Vashon, they’ll likely find a way to hang in there, subbing, offering up their services to the homeschooling community or figuring out other ways to pay the bills until times are better at the Vashon Island School District.

As James eloquently put it, “If you’re a musician, you’re going to play music. If you’re a teacher, you’re going to teach.”

We’re lucky to have such dedicated souls in our kids’ classrooms. We urge the school board, the administration, incoming Superintendent Michael Soltman and the union to use their creativity and skills to wring a few more dollars out of the district’s already stressed budget. If so, we can put another finger into this leaking dike, bring a teacher or two back and continue to work towards a saner form of taxation, budgeting and education policy.