Local officials worked for years to bring a Georgia Perimeter College campus to Newton County, and the college is expected to be a center of growth for eastern Newton County for years to come.

Just a few months ago President Anthony Tricoli spoke glowingly about our campus at the Covington-Newton County Chamber of Commerce's annual meeting and mentioned significant plans for future expansion.

Now, we're left wondering how those plans might be affected given the fact Tricoli stepped down as president after financial problems that led to the two-year college being $16 million in the red.

We're sorry to see our local college struggling, and we hope Chancellor Hank Huckaby's plans to cut spending will get the college on sure footing without hamstringing our campuses' ability to grow.

We believe the Newton campus has the potential to be the largest campus in the Georgia Perimeter system, which is the third largest in the state.

We don't know yet the specifics of why Georgia Perimeter finds itself in this serious shortfall, but we do know that some people in this community will bend over backward to see that Georgia Perimeter succeeds. If the college needs help, we hope officials will reach out to the local community.

The success of Georgia Perimeter is essential to the success of Newton County as we strive to create a highly-skilled workforce.