3/24/08

Plain Dealer Editorial

Pass a bushel of bright, shiny apples around the Cleveland Board of Education.

After more than 11 years, the Cleveland schools finally, finally, worked their way out from under fiscal oversight by the state.

State Auditor Mary Taylor, whose office had been tracking the district’s finances, said last week that the school system paid back a $139 million state-guaranteed loan and had a favorable financial outlook, which says something in this roller-coaster economy.

The district must keep its finances on an even keel, not just because the state will continue to do annual audits, but because it’s the smart way to operate.

Cleveland’s success should encourage other districts still languishing on fiscal watch or even in the depths of fiscal emergency - where Cleveland was in 1996. Escaping debtor’s prison is possible, but only if a district lives within its means.