A new school year is upon us.

In some places across the state, it has already begun. Locally, most area school districts will begin classes Monday.

No matter the location, though, the ongoing state budget impasse casts a long shadow over districts from Allentown to Erie.

But nowhere in the state is the strain of empty coffers more troubling for school districts in Carbon and adjacent counties where school officials are struggling to find their way through a maze of financial uncertainty.

At a mid-August meeting, for example, Jim Thorpe Area School District officials said they were getting ready to operate without basic or special education funding for July or August, not to mention the lack of federal dollars that have been reduced or delayed.

In addition, there’ll be no federal cash payments under Title 1, which provides for students in high-poverty areas, and IDEA, which funds programs for children with disabilities, including special education and related services.

Add to that Pre-K Counts money, which pays for free prekindergarten education to children starting as young as 3 years old.

Back in June, Jim Thorpe OK’d a $53.1 million spending plan that includes a 4% increase in property taxes.

The problem there is that anticipated revenue is just $51.1 million — a $2 million shortfall.

District officials believe that without the tax increase, the deficit would’ve grown to $3.2 million since the budget would generate just under $50 million in revenue.

And Jim Thorpe isn’t alone.

The tiny Weatherly Area School District has had to pull $1.2 million from its general fund to cover the lack of state funding.

The Weatherly board, which serves about 625 students, voted earlier this year to approve a $19.4 million spending plan that holds the line on any tax increases, but district officials said millage would likely increase in future spending plans due to the lack of state and federal funding.

In neighboring Panther Valley, the situation isn’t much better.

Its 2025-26 budget — a $41 million spending plan that projects a fund balance of about $8 million — was approved in June. Taxes will increase 1.29 mills for property owners in Carbon County and 1.45 mills in Schuylkill County.

Though the budget holds firm on taxes, it doesn’t include projections on additional state funding, which is still hanging in the balance in Harrisburg.

Cyber charter school funding was projected to rise by $1 million — to $4.5 million — for the cyber students the district funds.

They’re also staring down the barrel of increased special education costs in addition to transportation costs any new students in the program might involve.

In addition, there are always costs like maintenance issues and updating aging technology.

None of those things are free, yet they’re caught in the middle of what’s essentially a schoolyard squabble.

Think about it.

The principal, in this case Commonwealth Court, says the fighting needs to end.

The playground monitor, Gov. Josh Shapiro, makes some suggestions on how that might happen.

And then there’s everyone else.

One faction — mostly House Democrats and supporters of education — wants the outcome to be that all the kids get what they need — some more than others.

The other side — Senate Republicans and some budget hawks — are steadfast, questioning the need and source for more funding to maintain the current status and pay for growth in the future.

Sure, somewhere in a dark corner of the playground, there’s a group of kids working on getting this settled. But that’ll take time.

In the meantime, the fight continues, with books, buildings, teachers and technology hanging in the balance.

And every one of the state’s students — no matter where they live — are caught in the middle.

Lawmakers need to get moving and stop treating school funding like a playground battle. Grown-ups need to stop acting like they’re kids and work toward a system that treats everyone the same.

After all, kids learn by example.

What better place to begin than in Harrisburg?

ED SOCHA | tneditor@tnonline.com