It’s a simple rule of thumb — you can’t spend what you don’t have.

Elected and appointed officials in all facets of government have an awesome task of overseeing money that belongs to the public.

It is our money.

They are responsible for thoughtful spending and the safekeeping of our tax money.

Just like us, they can’t spend what they don’t have.

Not only is the state out of money, it is in such a deep financial hole. There’s no telling when it will be in the black again and when school districts will receive full funding.

A few years ago when the state was sued for not funding education, most of us thought Kansas had “learned a lesson” and wouldn’t do that again.

Wrong.

It did happen again and school officials and elected board members have to deal with it.

After attending meetings and hearing explanations of the financial woes of Marion County Special Education Cooperative, some of us are becoming more concerned with each passing month.

Most can agree that something had to be done with the facility in Florence. The stone building used for the severely handicapped students had mold and structural issues — not easily remedied. The basement of the Florence gymnasium was not the best setup for a behavioral modification program. A positive point was the administration building, which is in good condition.

Yes, it was clear to me anyway that something had to be done.

The former nursing home in Marion was seen as a perfect solution. It was large enough and available at a fair price. It was near a school campus, which was a goal of the co-op board. Purchasing it seemed like the logical thing to do.

After all, the cooperative was paying rent for three buildings in Florence, so purchasing one building in Marion meant no more rent payments and putting all in-house services under one roof — logically it meant a reduction in maintenance and utilities costs. And the location was desirable — near another campus with other services.

Unfortunately, no one could predict the drastic funding cuts ahead.

So, here we are.

The special ed board is faced with the daunting task of having to cut more than $775,000 next year — and that’s only if there is a $250,000 increase in local district assessments.

From my observation, it seems the cooperative will be more than $1 million in the hole next year.

The former nursing home building cost $100,000 to purchase. Renovations were supposed to cost $200,000 or so. According to special ed director Chris Cezar, $350,000 came out of last year’s budget for the building. Another $24,000 will come out of this year’s budget for overages related to remodeling and relocation.

That accounts for some of the problem.

There are fewer than 300 students being served by the cooperative — countywide — at any given time.

Are their needs becoming more costly? We’re not hearing that. Were there expenses that weren’t budgeted? Not hearing that either.

What we are hearing is the state has cut back on funding, which is based on the number of teachers and staff, not students. We get that but shouldn’t there be some other checks and balances by the administration? A safety net of sorts?

The five school districts in the county have been talking about budget cuts for several years in anticipation of a reduction in enrollment. No one, not even the superintendents, could have anticipated the plight of state funding. But their practices indicate adjustments were taken to make sure they did not overspend.

That is what administrators are paid to do — conduct research and make recommendations to elected board members for the common good.

So, while special ed board members are asking the right questions, are they getting the right answers?

Only time will tell.

— susan berg