THE BELLAIRE School District is currently experiencing a changing of the guard.

The district’s board of education at its regular meeting Monday night accepted the resignation of four administrators. Such a move is bittersweet news to the school board.

High School Principal Mike Sherwood has opted to retire. Assistant High School Principal John Haswell is heading south, assuming the principalship at Shadyside High School, his alma mater. John Foley, the fifth and six grade principal, is becoming Wellsville Middle School principal while Special Education Coordinator Paula Norman is leaving for a position with the Belmont-Harrison Joint Vocational School District.

The loss of four quality and veteran administrators will leave some pretty big shoes to fill. With the resumption of classes just some six weeks in the offing, time creates another hurdle to clear.

The four have served the district well and their expertise will be missed.

The school board has turned the quartet’s collective departure into a financial gain for the funding-challenged district. Board members have opted to fill just two of the four new vacancies.

Such action will yield a sizable savings to the district which is mired in fiscal emergency due to a deficit which at one point exceeded $3 million.

District officials have made major progress in making cuts to reduce the debt. Not replacing two administrators makes sense, as long as academic integrity does not suffer as a result.

Teachers have previously borne the brunt of the cuts, and hopefully are immune from any additional reductions.

The Bellaire School District still has much red ink to erase, but we believe the board of education made the right call in leaving two administrative posts open to reach that end.