When we moved here 20 years ago, one of the first things I learned is that the Vashon community values “local control.” Islanders created the Vashon Park District because King County Parks wasn’t responding to our needs. Islanders created the Vashon Health Center so they could get health care on the Island. The emergency preparedness efforts are a recent example of Islanders taking charge of our own destiny.

We now have another opportunity to shape our community’s future. The challenge is: How can our schools continue offering a program that balances academics, arts and athletics and that gets students who want to attend college into fine schools?

Washington state has underfunded public education for many years. When all states are ranked by how much money per pupil the state provides for K-12 schools, Washington ranks 45th! Our state spends less per pupil than Mississippi. This year the state cut another $120 million, slashing Vashon’s revenue by more than $500,000. That shortfall, combined with cost increases we do not control, leaves a $750,000 hole in next year’s budget.

The state doesn’t plan to increase funding for public education any time soon. The target date to implement the Legislature’s much-heralded “education reform” is 2018, too late for most of the children now attending Vashon schools. Many people doubt the state will come through even then.

Vashon currently offers 28 credits at the high school, but the state only funds 19. Our high school graduates need a 28-credit program to compete with other college applicants. Most four-year colleges also require applicants to have taken physics, chemistry and foreign language, courses we cannot continue to offer if we rely solely on state and federal funding.

If we allow the lack of state funding to chip away at the quality of our schools, then families who can afford it will send their children to private schools or move away. That starts a “death spiral.” Lower enrollment means less state money, which leads to more cuts, which causes more people to send their children elsewhere. Those who cannot afford to leave will be stuck. Many doors will be closed to them.

People who don’t have children or grandchildren in the schools now still have a stake in the quality of education here. Our community thrives on Islanders’ diverse talents and skills. We will lose that vitality if people leave to find a better education for their children.

Our business community should be concerned. Who will buy homes if we no longer have good schools? What will happen to our shops and restaurants if families move away?

The state has broken its promise of a free, adequate public education. Vashon cannot raise local property taxes further for operating our schools, because state law caps how much we can collect even if voters are willing to approve more. So what can we do?

Only one option remains: If we want a program that prepares our graduates for college and includes a balance of academics, arts and athletics, we have to pay for it ourselves. We are used to donating annually to our churches and the groups and causes we cherish. From now on, the schools need to be on that list.

Time is short, because the state requires our next year’s budget to be adopted by July 31. Our goal is to raise $500,000 by June 30. It will take giving more generously than we usually do. So far we have received nearly $100,000 in donations for next year, and many donors are pledging to make the same gift in each of the following two years. My family is joining others who are donating $1,000 a year for three years. People with greater capacity have pledged $5,000, $15,000 and $25,000.

Once again, our fate is in our own hands. Together we can protect the quality of our schools and the vitality of our community.

— Laura Wishik is president of the Vashon school board and the mother of two students at Chautauqua Elementary school.

Donate

Islanders may donate online at www.vashonsd.org.

Or make a check out to VISD. Mail it to VISD, P.O. Box 547, Vashon, or drop off a check at the school district office, located on the lower floor of Chautauqua Elementary School. Donations are tax deductible.