Editor, Gazette-Journal:

All Mathews County students, regardless of their socioeconomic background, should have access to a quality education to help them reach their true potential.

In Virginia, a formula known as the Local Composite Index determines what share of the costs will be paid by the locality which is primarily funded through property tax.

A locality with more families and higher incomes will have more funding available than localities with fewer citizens and lower income levels. Research has clearly shown funding has a very big impact on student success and this unfair formula needs to be fixed, but until then the students in Mathews schools deserve and need every penny we can give them.

Our current BOS only gave the minimum funds required by the state, underfunding the schools and placing our students at risk of not having the best education they could and should have. Several of the current board members have expressed their support of not accepting federal f...