Wasn’t it just last week that you read about vandalism in this very spot? Well, it happened again. This time, Vashon’s unidentified troublemakers smashed into the Island’s public schools and several school buses between 3 and 4 a.m. last Tuesday.
“It’s not surprising,” said Bob Hennessey, board chair of the Vashon Island School District (VISD). It “wasn’t just somebody tossing rocks over a fence,” he said, noting the vandals managed to get into several of the school buses and smash windows from the inside.
This latest early-morning crime spree seems more extensive and malevolent than the standard issue vandalism of yesteryear — simple “The senior class rules” green graffiti on a wall at the high school — and is much more costly.
The district is shelling out $6,000 to replace the windows so carelessly shattered last week. An incident of graffiti only costs $500 to $700.
Superintendent Terry Lindquist said the district will see if insurance will cover the window replacement costs, but “it’s probably a long shot.”
When he has worked so tirelessly to carefully make the tiniest and most painless of cuts, just to balance the district’s budget for the upcoming year, an incident like this hurts all the more.
The acts appeared random, said Dave Wilke, VISD facilities director.
“I don’t think we’re dealing with any kind of mastermind,” he said. “But the disregard on all fronts — cost, inconvenience, all that. Just give me a break.”
Lindquist said the district is “constantly looking for nickels and dimes,” and the $6,000 it will spend replacing glass could have been used for a more critical district need.
“We have some enormous curriculum needs and staff development needs,” he said. “If you gave me $6,000 today, I would have put it right in there.”
Wouldn’t that have been money better spent?
Security cameras are now in place at the high school and bus barn, so hopefully the most recent vandalism will be the last incident at both locations.
“Lots of the dialogue has been, ‘I hope we can catch these people,’” Wilke said. “But if all it does is deter them, that’s good enough for me.”
