The real work of government is most evident in hard economic times, not when there's cash lying around the vault and elected leaders have the luxury of sharing that wealth a bit.

When times are tight (and nobody disputes they are), the challenge lies in grasping hard realities, making tough spending choices and explaining them to the taxpayer.

That's the circumstance in which the Board of Education finds itself. As the elected body that oversees the policies and spending of the state Department of Education, the board already has taken the scalpel to the budget.

Now the board must face the harsh fact that it will have to pass over many worthy projects to cover the schools' core obligations with a thin education budget.

What's heartbreaking is that among the projects on the cutting-room floor is the $128,925 from the Department of Education for Special Olympics, the excellent competitive sports program for intellectually disabled children and adults.

The facts that Special Olympics does not uniquely serve children and that the training is not essential to the students' required academic plan gave administrators the rationale to zero out the funds.

Special Olympics rightly argues that these challenged kids have no other competitive sports outlet and that the DOE grant went only to the kids. However, other funding sources could be sought.

The national Special Olympics organization, for example, is planning other grants to local units through an new integrated education program for the intellectually disabled, called the National Youth Activation Project.

During lean times, many adjunct programs that benefit public schools will have to tap nontaxpayer sources.

Today, the board is poised to reopen the issue for Special Olympics. BOE members argued the DOE had not warned the nonprofit, as the board had directed, before the cut.

But it's wrong to reverse the decision on the basis of emotion, especially with the state's revenue situation certain to worsen before it improves. The governor already has given notice of further cuts.

So, yes, the school board may revisit its list of cut programs in coming weeks. But it's surely to subtract more money, not restore it.

The board members need to steel themselves to that reality and make sure service providers understand it as well.