The recent article “Panther Valley looks at cost of cyber charters” sheds much light on how local public schools are struggling to stay afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many schools have been underfunded for years now due to an inequitable statewide funding formula, but the coronavirus has exacerbated matters, increasing costs to safely educate students while reducing revenue as cyber charters siphon an estimated $350 million from our public schools this year.

There’s no doubt about it - our schools need a lifeline. In November, state lawmakers thankfully passed a budget that managed to avoid cuts to state school funding, but local funding shortfalls still need to be addressed. Long-overdue relief from Congress would help school districts fill in the gaps.

Our children’s education has already been jeopardized, and politicized, enough. Congress must finally take action to ensure our schools have the resources they need for the next school year to prevent any further disruption to our children’s education.

Susan Spicka

Shippensburg