To the editor:

Today I noticed the signs in opposition to the proposed bond issue for the Bainbridge Island School District. The message was “Vote No for Kids.”

I have watched Bainbridge Island School District conscientiously manage their budget for the last 34 years we have lived on Bainbridge Island. I have watched them diligently assess facility needs with outside professionals and create the best school district in the state with a remarkable staff and relatively few resources. I have had some inside perspective with my wife being a part of that process.

We have had three sons go through their K-12 education here starting at Blakely Elementary School, which has been outdated and in need of repairs for 20 years. I also grew up in a town where the high school auditorium was the center of activity for the greater community. I know how much that brought the community together.

We spend public money on a lot of things. None is more important than investing in the education of our children.

Some say that the physical plant is not critical to that process. The evidence would argue otherwise. The projects that the school district has proposed are necessary and urgent and cannot wait until every person is satisfied that the bond fits their perspective. Professionals have given the report of structural needs. Our children need our support. The performing arts portion is an investment not only in the cultural education of our children, but it is an investment in our community for which we will be thankful for years to come.

It is time to invest in that which is for us most precious. For me I cannot “Vote No for Kids.” I hope you cannot either.

GREGORY E. KEYES

Bainbridge Island