La Grande teachers have long shown a commitment to excellence. Now they have also shown a commitment to common sense by agreeing to take a pay cut in 2009-10. Their support of a one-year contract calls for them to work four fewer days, accept a salary freeze and also accept a freeze in money paid by the district for health insurance. The contract was ratified this week by the school board.

It’s sad that the pay cut was necessary. But with the La Grande School District still facing about $2 million in cuts, the fact is that it is just a small part in righting the budget ship.

It’s time to put on the blue jeans and boots and head on out to take  part in a local tradition. The 102nd annual Eastern Oregon Livestock Show, the oldest continuously running show and rodeo in the Northwest, is under way in Union.

The livestock show began earlier this week. The queen’s coronation is tonight at 7, the parade is Friday at 2 p.m. and the livestock auction is Saturday at 8 a.m. Rodeo and parimutuel horse racing get under way Friday at 4 p.m. Additional performances are Saturday and Sunday at 1:30 p.m.

The La Grande Main Street program has been in full swing for nearly six months, but this week it shifts into high gear.

Groups of volunteers have been meeting regularly since late January to lay out a course of action for the program, which is the cornerstone of La Grande’s downtown revitalization efforts. Come Wednesday the public will have a chance to hear what the four committees have been working on and, hopefully,  sign up to take part in future activities. A public meeting is planned for 6 p.m. Wednesday at Cook Memorial Library. Anyone interested in helping reinvigorate downtown should plan on attending.

The economy has dealt everyone a blow. The private sector has been hit hard. The public sector is soon to follow. And while things seem to be slowly turning around, the state is faced with making projections for the next two years that are bound to take a bite out of state-funded services, from public schools and higher education to social services and public safety.

The Legislature is faced with an ominous task. It has to divvy up the dollars in a way that has the least negative impact on Oregon’s well-being. Schools will feel the hit. So will higher education. Cuts to K-12 funding and higher education will be felt, especially in areas like ours where the unemployment rates have been above the state average for some time.

Economic anxiety has been running rampant due to hundreds of local manufacturing and wood products industry jobs vanishing. Although the former Fleetwood plant will be reopening under Northwood ownership and creating new jobs, it’s not known if some of the other jobs that have been lost will ever return. But thanks to help from the Training and Employment Consortium and Eastern Oregon University, there is some hope on the horizon.

That’s good, because laid-off workers can become very frustrated. They face bureaucracies that tend to be slow and inflexible when they need speed and flexibility to expedite the process of retraining and finding new employment. They also need hope.

The La Grande High School a cappella choir has hit a high note by becoming the 2009 Class 4A state champion.

The program has a long history of commitment to excellence. Credit goes to director Kevin Durfee for guiding this year’s program to the pinnacle of success, and enjoying the journey along the way. The victory proves that high expectations of students can pay dividends. Such demanding and yet at the same time fun programs help reveal to students their capabilities, which are often much greater than the students had first imagined.