Maybe the pain won't last as long as we thought.

The Cato-Meridian Central School District learned this week, its projected financial deficit is substantially lower than originally thought. Instead of $720,000, the district now is looking at a roughly $440,000 shortfall. And some extra state aid will enable Cato to pay down the remaining debt more quickly.

A number of factors came together to give the district this much-needed bit of good news, but perhaps the most important was a new emphasis on frugality. Everyone in the district made sure nothing was wasted, and they spent only when absolutely necessary. Katherine Huntone, the district's administrator, said the administrative offices would borrow paper from the high school at times rather than spend for new.

Cato-Meridian's short-term situation has created a lot of tension in the community, especially over the issue of sports and extra-curricular funding. But at least this administration seems headed toward a long-term solution.

Unfortunately, all of this cost control has not wiped out the district's fiscal crises. There's still a lot of work to do.

At this point, Cato is still unable to fully fund its sports and extra-curricular programs, according to district officials. And other budget cuts, including staff positions, are still in effect.

To fix these problems, the district must continue to monitor everyday spending the way it has for the past year. A real danger for a return to past spending practices exists. It's human nature to relax a little now that some good news has finally come out.

But that would be disastrous.

Lasting reform is the only way to return the district to normalcy. It's the only way to avoid a repeat of this past spring, when voters twice rejected proposed budgets. And it's the only way to ensure students received a consistently strong education experience.