When Bob McDonnell campaigned to become governor, he promised to be a strong supporter of education.

But not even one month into his administration, McDonnell has made a decision that could be devastating to more than 90 school districts in the state, including Franklin, Isle of Wight and Southampton.

On Monday, McDonnell announced that he would make an adjustment to the index that sets the ratio of funding from the state. By adjusting this index, schools in Northern Virginia stand to reap millions of dollars at the expense of schools in every other part of the state.

The school divisions from Northern Virginia lobbied for the change. Now our local delegates and senators will be asked to fight it. In a letter from 14 area school superintendents, our elected officials in the General Assembly are being urged “to raise your voices on behalf of the children of the 93 school districts that would lose significant funding if this recommendation were to become a reality.”

We support those superintendents and ask our representatives in Richmond to do the same. Please work to keep the index unchanged or, as the superintendents wrote, “at the very least forge a compromise that will mitigate its powerfully negative effects.”