Surely the school board can find the funds to keep Academy Heights open for at least one more year. The parents have been blindsided by this news and deserve time, answers and a detailed analysis of the study done to reach the conclusion to shut Academy Heights down.

Thank you to Patrick Coughlin, president/CEO of the Moore County Chamber, for reminding all of us that we as a community can do something constructive to fund education in Moore County. Education spending per child is pathetic in most states, and North Carolina, ranked 45th, is one of the worst in the nation. We can and should do better.

If you’d like to read more, check out N.C. Justice Center’s November 2010 report on our N.C. education system: “Report: N.C. Education System One of America’s Worst-Funded (www.ncpolicywatch.com/2010/11/17/report-nc-education-system-one-of-americas-worst-funded/) and “North Carolina’s Public School Funding System: Underfunded, Unclear and Unfair” (www.ncjustice.org/sites /default/files/EPP_Public_School_Funding.pdf).

Suzanne Coleman

Southern Pines