It’s a well-settled fact that everything costs more on the Vineyard, including educating our children. But for Island taxpayers, the cost of elementary education has come under special scrutiny this year, especially in the up-Island schools. Debate began while the snow was still piled high, when weeks before the annual town meeting the West Tisbury finance committee sounded an alarm about escalating costs in the district that comprises the Chilmark and West Tisbury schools. It continued in April when West Tisbury voters rejected a three hundred thousand dollar override for the town’s portion of the up-Island school budget. And it concluded this week on a rainy June night when West Tisbury voters approved a revised budget in quick order with no debate.

Now summer vacation looms and the latest budget maelstrom is certain to fade from memory. But before the discussion is shelved for another year, it is worth taking stock of what we are paying for.

In 2014, the up-Island school district ranked sixth in the state for per-pupil spending, the Gazette reported last week. In round numbers, Chilmark and West Tisbury spend twenty-five thousand dollars per student compared with the state average of fourteen thousand dollars per student. These high numbers for per-pupil spending are not confined to the up-Island district; the regional high school spends twenty-six thousand dollars per pupil, Edgartown spends twenty-two thousand and the Tisbury School spends twenty-one thousand.

Why so high? The so-called Island factor is a major reason, and one that cannot easily be dismissed. According to schools superintendent Dr. James H. Weiss, it costs more to attract and retain teachers on the Island because of the high cost of living, especially housing. “People who come here either don’t last because they can’t afford to stay here, or they stay here forever and become highly paid individuals,” he told the Gazette.

The cost of special needs education is also a factor, though not as significant as some may imagine. Dr. Weiss said the percentage of special needs students on the Vineyard is less than five per cent higher than the state average. Still, it costs more to educate special needs students than others.

A more significant factor is the longstanding tradition in Vineyard public schools of keeping class sizes small and of providing a wide array of enrichment programs. Music and art instruction, environmental education, cultural programs in dance and theatre, introduction to foreign languages — these programs are not mandated by the state department of education and indeed in many communities on the mainland they have long since fallen beneath the budget axe.

While some may view small class size and enrichment programs as luxuries, parents, educators and community leaders know the value they bring by providing students with a well-rounded education, especially on an Island where geographic isolation presents an added barrier for young people. The vast majority of year-round Islanders are not wealthy, and with the high cost of living, many are stretched thin. The Island’s public schools offer these children opportunities they might not otherwise have, like the chance to play the violin, explore their art or travel to Washington D.C.

Whether these advantages continue to be worth the price is certainly a fair subject for taxpayers to revisit, and school leadership needs to be prepared with clear answers to school spending questions so community members understand exactly what they are paying for.

School costs have in fact risen faster than other municipal costs, and administrators would be wise to sharpen their pencils and look for efficiencies wherever possible. But the brouhaha over school spending in West Tisbury this spring seemed to have as much to do with lack of transparency as it had to do with the rising cost of education. School leaders need to do a better job of making their case to voters next year. The Vineyard has always understood the value of high quality public education, but in a difficult financial environment that commitment cannot be taken for granted.