It was good news to learn that the Douglas County School District and teachers have worked out a plan that will permit the district to live within its means.
That doesn't mean that there won't be layoffs at the end of the day, just that the state budget cuts won't be responsible for them.
School officials believe that the district's enrollment will be down 189 students next school year. Since funding is based on the number of students who show up for school in September, Douglas will need the services of fewer teachers.
The tally now is seven, but between retirements and resignations, there's no telling what the number will end up being.
Those folks would be looking for work no matter how great the economy was, because fewer people with children are living here than in the go-go years of yore.
State law allows Douglas to delay laying off the teachers for a year, but that's not how we do things here. We know that a debt delayed means a higher payment down the road. Better to stay ahead and perhaps make up the difference in the long run.
Because most of the money for the schools comes from the most stable source, property tax, the recent budget cuts won't have the impact on the district they might have had we been more reliant on sales and gaming taxes to support the schools.
