We have stated many times that we believe Georgia Perimeter College is one of Newton County's cornerstones and that it will play an important role in the future growth of our county and the surrounding region.

That's why it's so disheartening to hear even more bad news for GPC, as the college discovered it's going to have to cut another $1.3 million, after it already lopped $25 million from the budget.

We firmly believe GPC will weather this financial storm and come out stronger on the other side, led by experienced interim president Rob Watts, but it's too bad the recovery is being made ever more difficult.

The additional cuts are a result of cuts across the board at state agencies, an understandable stance by a state government that itself has struggled with tough budget cuts for years.

The cuts wouldn't hurt nearly as much if the school hadn't been in such dire financial jeopardy to begin with. While former president Anthony Tricoli is blamed for an aggressive expansion that ran up costs, we're anxious to see the results of the official audit, which should shed light on the situation and hopefully ensure such mismanagement doesn't happen again.

We don't envy Watts' task, as he may be forced to trim even more staff, despite already cutting 282 employees, including 26 from the Newton campus. However, we wish him luck and invite him and anyone at GPC to help us know how we can help make the university a success.