I was flabbergasted by the front page story concerning funding for the Partners in Routt County program.

After the Grant Commission unanimously approved a $97,000 request to fund 10 mentors for the 2016-17 school year, the Education Fund Board was intimidated into tabling its approval of the funding request by a last-minute threat letter from the superintendents of the three school districts.

The article states that the superintendents were upset to hear that the Education Fund would consider using district funds to pay for the Partners program. The superintendents clearly have a misguided sense of entitlement.

The school districts are not entitled to any monies generated by the 1/2-cent sales tax. In fact legally, it is a requirement that the funds generated by the tax not be governed by the school districts. Any monies the school districts receive are a gift. Last year, the school districts received a gift in excess of $3 million.

The superintendents' letter threatens that "if the board chose to accept the Partners request, the districts wouldn't accept the program in their schools next year." The school districts have the right to do that, but why would they?

This attitude smacks of school alright — of little school kids saying, "I won't play with you, because you got a piece of my pie."

Well, the fact is that this pie does not belong to any one person, community group or school district. The school districts should be grateful there is any pie at all, and they should learn to share.

Now, please, grow up and play nice.

Robin Stone

Steamboat Springs