THE BELLAIRE Board of Education is immersed in a most painstaking task. Board members are attempting to get the school district out of some $3 million in red ink. The deficit has placed Bellaire schools under the guidance of a state oversight committee.

Bellaire school board members have a daunting task for sure. But much to their credit, they are making positive advancements. Unfortunately, much still remains to be done under a tight timeline.

Some positive news was reported during last week’s oversight committee meeting.

First, the Bellaire BOE and the Bellaire Education Association have reached agreement on a new contract. It runs through 2012 and will save the district money. That is a huge weight off the board’s cost-cutting shoulders.

Secondly, due to the anticipated exodus of some administrators in the district, a $200,000 savings will be realized as the vacated positions will not be filled. That is a prudent decision by the board of education.

Also, district officials are keeping a tighter watch on the food service operations, a longtime thorn in the side of district coffers. Moreover, District Treasurer Tara Boyer said milk and bread bids are more cost friendly than in previous years, another good-news nugget for the district.

Despite all the progress the Bellaire Board of Education is making in reducing the deficit, in partnership with the oversight panel, there is still no bright light at the end of the tunnel.

The board must still come up with another million dollars in reductions. That will prove a most difficult undertaking as substantial cutbacks have already been executed.

The board is planning on placing the 12.9 mill levy back on the November ballot. It met with resounding defeat in May, and a similar fate may await in the general election.

We understand that the 12.9 mill levy would prove a major boost in the district’s financial recovery efforts should it gain approval. But we also understand that the levy, in its present form, is tough to swallow for the majority of district voters.