The annual Breakfast of Champions supporting Mercer Island schools is just a few weeks away, and this year, there’s a greater need for the community to “bridge the gap” between state and local funding for education.

The Breakfast of Champions will be from 7-8:30 a.m. on April 25 at Mercer Island High School, and will feature students experiencing opportunities of academic excellence in math, sciences, literacy and the arts — including the award-winning Jazz Band — along with teachers who benefit from donor investments.

A highlight of the program will be the introduction of the 2017 Pathfinders, Mercer Island High School graduates whose achievements and citizenship inspire and challenge today’s youth: Patricia (Trish) Coffey, a program adviser at the nonprofit global-health organization PATH; Leslie Hendricks Fall, a pediatrician, professor at Dartmouth College and co-founder of MedU; and Adrian Hanauer, the majority owner of 2016 MLS Cup champions Seattle Sounders FC.

The Mercer Island School District is facing a $2.1 million budget deficit, mainly due to the state of Washington’s failure to provide adequate funding to schools, despite the Legislature recently passing a bill extending the “levy cliff.”

Mercer Island is one of the lowest-ranking districts in per-pupil funding in the state, ranking 291 out of 300 districts. Without additional funding, the district may have to cut three administrators and 17-18 teachers across all six schools, causing class sizes to grow and compromising educational programming.

“As a community, we can band together and continue to invest in the exceptional educational opportunities offered to every student,” Mercer Island Schools Foundation Director Penny Yantis wrote on Facebook. “It is up all of us to reduce and minimize the gap. Please join us in your support the biggest investment anyone can ever make in our children and our community — education.”

Despite the severity of the funding challenges, the breakfast is an uplifting event that promises to support and successfully prepare students “for the cognitive, global and digital world.”

“This year’s program promises to be an inspirational celebration of our excellent students, teachers and Pathfinders, graduates who are changing the world,” Yantis wrote. “We will hear from Superintendent [Gary] Plano before he retires at the end of June.”

There will also be raffle for two VIP Seahawks experiences, including tickets to training camp and a home game.

The Breakfast of Champions ensures “Mercer Island students receive the education they need and deserve — one not dictated by the limits of state funding but by the limitless opportunities a 21st Century education will provide,” according to the Schools Foundation website.

Reserve a seat at www.mercerislandschoolsfoundation.com/forms/breakfast-guest-form. Sign up for the Breakfast of Champions by filling out and submitting the form, calling the Schools Foundation at 206-275-2550 or sending a note to Penny@misf.com.