Schools around the area are facing funding crises as the state tightens its belt because of budget shortfalls.

That means schools must find ways to save money while still providing the services the communities they serve have come to expect from them.

Muskogee Public Schools and some other districts are looking to save money by encouraging longtime teachers to take early retirement, giving them financial incentives to do so.

Paying new teachers is less expensive than paying teachers who have been around for years, so the district looks to save a lot of money by encouraging the retirements — even with the financial incentives.

But it seems a shame to lose the long institutional knowledge that comes with a teacher who has been teaching for a long time.

Nothing is an adequate substitute for experience, and while we understand the districts must find savings somewhere, we wish there was another way that didn’t involve losing experienced teachers.

Teacher contracts can’t be modified during the school year, so any such retirements would have to be voluntary.

Muskogee Public Schools Chief Financial Officer John Little said, “If there is a reduction in force, it would have to be support personnel or administration.”

We’re not so sure that’s not a bad idea. Top-heavy organizations can almost always find somewhere to cut from the top, and while we’re not saying the district is top-heavy, it might be worth a look to see if any cuts can be made at the administration level.

As we have long advocated, smaller districts could benefit from consolidating their administrative functions while maintaining local schools. Bigger districts like Muskogee, however, must trim.

We hope this budget crisis is over soon, because education is the last place we should be cutting.