Pike County commissioners voted Monday to extend a 1-cent sales tax in the county to raise local funds for city and county schools.

The extension on the levy makes good sense and is a prudent move to shore up any shortfalls our local school systems may face with the possibility of state funding cutbacks.

Taxation isn't always the best solution to governmental revenue crisis. Gov. Bill Riley has made that clear in ordering state government to cut expenses.

However, when expenses are cut, a government can only raise revenues through taxation, and the Pike County Commission ought to be commended for doing what it can not to raise taxes during a turbulent time.

Without the revenue generated by the local sales tax, the school districts wouldn't "survive," as Troy superintendent Hank Jones told this newspaper.

It would have been easy enough for the county commissioner to have let the sales tax expire, but that wouldn't have a wise course of action.

As Alabama heads into the financial quagmire of deficit and debt, decisions over funding at the local level will become harder for our elected officials to make. So far, the county commission has exercised considerable resolve to keep in place the local sales tax to fund our schools.

We commend their decision.