As the Bainbridge Island School District celebrates the graduation of the class of 2023 it has much to be proud of.

Many of the graduates will be going to college, others to a technical school and still others will be entering the military or workforce. Many received college scholarships.

The BISD has a great reputation. It used to be families would move here just so they could reap the rewards of the school system.

According to U.S. News and World Report, BISD still ranks first in Kitsap County, ninth in the state and 646th in the nation, with an overall score of 96.38 out of 100. Schools are ranked on their performance on state-required tests, graduation and how well they prepare students for college.

Its student-teacher ratio is an impressive 20-1. The Advanced Placement rate is 74%. Its graduation rate is 95%. About 96% are proficient in reading, 80% in math and 31% in science. It ranks quite a bit above the state average in those first two subjects, but below in science.

However, while it excels academically and does fairly well in athletics, music and other extracurricular areas, it, like many other schools, struggles with social problems.

When I became editor of the Bainbridge Island Review three years ago one of the initial stories I covered was a rally in Waterfront Park. A group of young women from BHS said they were sexually assaulted and even raped and complained the district and local police did not do enough to change that situation.

When police chief Joe Clark came on board he did work to educate students and the community on the subject. Isolation during COVID seemed to hinder that effort, and problems continue today.

Mental health problems also have been an issue, also exacerbated during COVID. Alcohol, drug use and even suicides have been the result. Any of us who have been through adolescence knows depression is a chronic issue — many never feel like they measure up.

And despite efforts to curb bullying it seems to happen more than ever — especially with social media. Counseling at the school and in the community is working hard on the problem, explaining it’s OK and even normal not to feel happy all the time.

But problems persist. For example a 9-year-old being placed in a police car fairly recently outraged the community.

Another area of tension that is somewhat confusing is how the district has handled the coaches in the three major boys sports the past few years.

The baseball coach is revered by his players, who have had tremendous success. Not only do the teams do well, but many of the players go on to play in college. One was even a high Major League Baseball draft pick. But the baseball program has had to deal with subpar playing conditions until parents rebelled this year, forcing the district to finally act.

In football, the team has not had all that much success, but their coach also was loved by his players. Despite that, he was encouraged to leave the program and did.

On the other hand, in basketball, while the team did OK the players and community did not like the way the coach treated the players. Yet he was allowed to stay. After an uproar from opposition the coach was put on probation the next year and has since resigned.

Athletes usually look up to their coaches so the handling of those three is a head-scratcher. The previous athletic director suddenly resigned, only adding to the turmoil.

Drops in attendance continue to be a problem for BISD, leading to state funding shortfalls. Some of that has to do with families not being able to move here or stay here because of the lack of affordable housing. Others just don’t want to go to public school here anymore—for reasons already mentioned and others—so they look for other options. Reductions in programs, teaching and more have been the result.

Some in the community put the blame on superintendent Peter Bang-Knudsen. But we know that’s not the case. Leaders at the top – like President Biden and Seahawks coach Pete Carroll — always take the blame. But there are so many others who play a part — even parents at home.

Leadership is an issue, however. Two school board members recently resigned just months before their terms ended. It never looks good when that happens, for them or the district.

BI is a wonderful community full of wonderful people. We have the resources many other school districts don’t have. Let’s work together to use them for the good of all students. Let’s stop the blame game and play the same game — supporting each other.

Steve Powell is editor of the five Kitsap News Group newspapers, including the Bainbridge Island Review.