Spreading cuts a fair answer

We applaud Gov. Gibbons decision to spread out proposed cuts over the entire education budget. The governor and public officials will have to make some hard decisions over the coming months and we support them in their efforts as long as they are fair to those involved.

Speaking of fair, we would remind officials at Western Nevada College that we will be watching very carefully over the next few months to be sure their idea of budget cuts simply isn't to cut loose the rural campuses.

We realize that one of the hardest things to do at the college is to cut programs that are close to home, but we suggest that Bently Hall is one of the less expensive items on the list.

According to the college's numbers, it costs Western Nevada $123 per Douglas student as opposed to $725 per student in Hawthorne, Yerington, Lovelock or Fernley.

That's not to say that we don't support keeping all of the rural campuses open. At a total of just over a $250,000 for the lot, delivering college-level education to the far corners of Nevada is a bargain.

Just as the same percentage cut has a greater effect on a smaller organization than on a larger one, we hope the University and Community College System of Nevada realizes that a relatively painless cut at University of Nevada, Las Vegas, has a much larger impact on Western Nevada College.

We hope halving the amount being called on from the colleges will go a long way toward bringing balance to the budget and allow Carson Valley to keep its campus open.