Get more, spend less

Getting more work for less money is a concept not often associated with government.

So we're pleased with a new agreement among four local school districts that's supposed to do just that.

The deal involves the Baker, Pine-Eagle, Burnt River and North Powder districts.

Traditionally, the three smaller districts have hired the Union-Baker Education Service District to provide special education diagnosticians and speech and language therapists for students.

Problem is, the Pine-Eagle, Burnt River and North Powder schools have had to trim spending as their enrollments, and thus their share of state dollars, have shrunk.

The districts' solution is to form a consortium in which the ESD, instead of supplying therapists, will simply send state money directly to the districts.

The Baker School District will oversee special education programs for the three districts.

Barry Nemec, the Baker School District's special education director, said the consortium will save the three smaller districts about $130,000 per year. Better still, students in those districts will have therapists available more often because the employees won't have to drive from the ESD office in Island City.

That's a simple — and smart — solution.