Quicksand.

Just when it feels that Shoreline School District supporters might be touching bottom, things sink a little

lower.

A school board meeting this week was expected to be a depressing but necessary step of the grieving process over the closure of two elementary schools. The recommendation came a week ago from a broad-based task force put together by district officials to consider a range of cost-cutting options.

No one is happy about the prospect of closing two schools, but there had been unofficial acknowledgement for some time that such an amputation would be required to save the patient.

But just when it appeared that a corner had been turned, those at the meeting heard more bad news: A $1.9 million budget black hole has been enlarged by another $1.2 million.

The prognosis was already dire, the treatment undeniably painful, what now?

The reality is the district now has less than six months to deal with a budget out of balance by more than $3 million. This summer, officials must present a balanced budget for 2007-08 or face the specter of state officials stepping in to run things, starting next fall.

It is imperative to focus on the work at hand, and those in charge are clearly engaged and working hard to fix problems. Still, and with apologies to Spanish philosopher George Santayana, “Those who refuse to learn from the mistakes of history are doomed to repeat them.”

Yes, declining enrollments are a factor in the school district’s predicament, but the actions taken as that reality unfolded over the years are of greater concern.

A thorough investigation must be done on how the district got to this point for there to be any hope of a sustainable solution for the future.