Public education is like riding a roller-coaster, except that in education the thrill tends to come on the way up, when the economy is flying high, and funding is flush and the future feels as bracing as the wind rushing past. However, this is not one of those times. The economy seems to be almost in free fall. Optimism plummets with each successive bit of bad news, much of it dealing with the simple cost of doing business. While the metaphorical bottom line of business of schools is educating kids, the numerical one says that the cost of educating kids has gotten out of line. Rising energy costs alone impact almost every school district in the country, according to a poll conducted by the American Association of School Administrators. Ninety-nine percent of the superintendents surveyed said they and their boards had been compelled to act, from implementing energy conservation measures (the most popular action taken) to cutting back on field trips, eliminating staff positions, or even closing schools. In this article, the author discusses how schools cope with cost run-ups and budget let-downs.