With alacrity, state education officials need to make a decision on whether to allow local school districts to cross over federal stimulus funds for special education into their general funds. And that decision should be to allow it.

The reason is because of the spirit behind the funding. The education federal stimulus funds are meant to bolster schools and to retain jobs. That’s how senators and representatives in Congress envisioned the measure.

When the federal government decided how it would distribute the education funds, the most efficient way was to use existing funding streams: Title I and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

If state officials don’t allow a crossover, then school districts in Minnesota will have out-of-proportion special-ed budgets. They will be cutting teachers and hiring special-ed teachers — ones they won’t be able to keep when the stimulus money dries up in a couple of years.

That would not be the sort of U.S. job assistance Congress sought.

However, if state officials allow the crossover, then the school districts can save existing teacher jobs until the economy recovers. This will keep talented people on staff. (And for some districts, they might even add teachers.)

All this is in the hands of the Minnesota Department of Education.

That said, we value special education, and the funding for special education would not suffer as a result of the crossover.

It’s just that the federal government sought to give money to local schools. The state is simply a middle man, and that middle man shouldn’t stand in the way of the intention.