Underprivileged children in Portland who need glasses can breathe a litle easier this fall. School officials, eye-care providers and civic groups have set up a fund that will get glasses to kids who need them but can’t afford to pay.

But what about next year?

That will require action from the state.

Currently MaineCare, the subsidized health coverage for low income families, offers eyeglasses among its benefits. But it only reimburses providers at $8 a pair.

That’s a rate that has not been changed since the mid-1980s and in no way reflects the real costs of making glasses for kids who need them.

So even though eye care is “covered” by the state, providers were expected to do their work for next to nothing. That was an unreasonable expectation, and it should come as a surprise to no one that the last provider in Portland stopped participating in the program this year.

The private fundraising was a success, collecting $11,500, which should cover the approximately 500 low-income children who will need glasses this school year.

But this is only a stop-gap solution to a problem that won’t go away when the fund is exhausted.

There is a limited long-term role for private fundraising, but between the schools and MaineCare, there should be sustainable funding for what is as essential as a textbook for children to succeed in school.