Credit where credit is due: members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives deserve applause for getting a months-long jump-start on their part of the state budget process, and sending the Senate a $31.5 billion spending plan last week.

The House’s proposal is not perfect, and it’s not likely to be approved as-is either. That’s as it should be, and we hope senators have answers to some of the questions House members left unanswered — like how deep cuts to human services and criminal justice aren’t just passing the tax buck to local governments, which could be forced to raise property taxes to fill in the gaps.

The Senate is currently in recess but is scheduled to return to Harrisburg before the end of the month. The chamber should follow the House’s lead and make revising this spending plan its top priority in the short term.

If the legislature has to go through several rounds of revisions before they cobble together a plan that’s acceptable to both chambers, they should get it done post haste. There’s no reason to delay when it comes to confronting the systemic issues clouding the commonwealth’s fiscal future.

[naviga:h3]Jeer [/naviga:h3]

Members of the South Butler School Board are doing their constituents a disservice by not responding to the concerns of parents upset over issues that range from an unresolved teachers contract to the impending retirement of orchestra instructor Bonnie Myers-Toward.

Board members don’t have to get caught up in an extended back-and-forth over every single issue. But they should feel obligated to respond to parents’ critiques about their long-term vision for the district and the decisions they make about expenses, revenues and school programs.

Automatically referring all questions to superintendent David Zupsic isn’t an acceptable response for a group of elected officials that acts as the school district’s ultimate decision-makers on these matters. Zupsic is a valuable addition to these discussions, but he can’t be the district’s only voice.

When parents air their concerns and are met with silence from the people they elected to the board, they understandably assume that board members are either uninterested in their opinions or uninvolved in the decision-making process.

That’s no way for board members to treat the parents of children whose education they’re charged with overseeing.

[naviga:h3]Cheer [/naviga:h3]

The shortcomings of this region’s public transit systems have long been a thorn in the side for commuters across Butler County. But now it seems that 2018 will be the start of better times for some.

The Butler Transit Authority announced last week that a new route taking people from Butler, Evans City and Jackson Township to Pittsburgh is tentatively expected to begin next July. The authority has ordered five new natural-gas-powered buses to fill the run, using a $2.6 million federal grant and more than $600,000 from the state.

The additions will mean more construction as the authority adds a park-and-ride lots in Butler, Forward Township and elsewhere.

The route, which will cost $8 to $10 round trip, should prove a cost-effective alternative for commuters and represents an important addition to the region’s transportation infrastructure.