A recent report on local school district spending on cyber charter schools struck a nerve in cyber land, prompting a flurry of cyber responses.

While several of the letters came from local residents, many came from outside the area, with two of the writers listing North Huntingdon and Erie addresses.

While offering diverse opinions, the missives voiced several common themes.

Most seemed to view the tally of the amounts spent by Venango County districts on cyber charter schools as an "attack" on the cyber schools. (The Cranberry, Franklin, Oil City and Valley Grove districts combined spent $989,091.28 last year for roughly 136 students enrolled in cyber charter programs.)

"Cyber schools are under attack," one of the letters began.

Another writer said she was "aghast" at the articles on the newspaper Web site about cyber school spending.

Another quoted Albert Einstein's observation that "great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds."

Many of the letters sounded twin chords defending cyber schools and condemning public schools.

One writer refers to the "countless atrocities that happen in public school every day."

"Schools have failed students academically and now they fail to guarantee safety. I am a teacher of 18 years. I have worked in high crime area public schools. I have had students sexually assault me, bring weapons to my classroom and threaten me with violence - and I am the teacher," the writer states.

I chose to keep my children at home because of the local school district treating me as a parent like dirt," another writes.

"The majority of kids that graduate from this very small school usually don't go on to college but stay right in town and end up either living with their parents for a very long time or going on welfare," she continues.

She goes on to say her children are faring well in cyber school and are one or two grades ahead in many of their subjects.

"My child has been in cyber charter school since third grade," another mother relates. "She was slow to pick up on reading and was ridiculed by the teachers at her school and tortured by the other kids. She stopped wanting to go to public school at 8 years old."

She reports that since switching to cyber school, her daughter has been "thriving."

"I have been a cyber school parent for the last three years. Before that I was a high school teacher. I know what goes on in the average public school, the vast majority of which is not education," yet another writes.

She goes on to list some school activities unrelated to education: "recess, watching movies, doing mindless worksheets and listening to a teacher spend half of his/her time disciplining other students."

Many delved into the topic of school funding and argued that cyber schools actually save public school districts money because only a portion of a district's per pupil spending is forwarded to the cyber school. Meanwhile, the student's transfer to the cyber school leaves the public school district with one less student to educate, feed, transport and so on, according to their reasoning.

Many voice a belief that tax dollars for public education "belong to the parents."

"Parents should have the freedom to have that money to use at whatever school they desire to use," one says.

"The fact is all we are doing is using our tax dollars on the school we prefer our children to attend," another writes.

That thought is echoed by another writer, "The money that school districts claim they are losing are actually our tax dollars - not theirs. As parents, we are simply using our tax dollars on the school we prefer."

"Doesn't it seem fair to you that each student should employ the allocated money that has been assigned to every other child in the school district in whatever school the parents choose," another asks.

Several ultimately argue that education should be the focus of discussion, not educational spending.

"I'm very sorry about the money that you feel is more important than the future leaders of our nation, but personally, anything that allows our children to reach their full potential is worth it," one writes.

"Let's make this fight about what is right for students, not about dollars and cents," another concludes.