Our hats are off to Gallup-McKinley County Schools Interim Superintendent Mike Hyatt and the members of the entire Gallup-McKinley County Board of Education.

The school district pulled off a major logistical feat with the recent announcement that kids attending McKinley County schools won’t be required to pay for school supplies starting the fall of 2017.

The school supplies decision is final and won’t change in the near or distant future. That means free pens, pencils, notebooks and lab fees forever!

“It’s a cost-savings measure and there are no strings attached to it,” Hyatt told the Gallup Sun. “This takes the cost-factor of parents having to buy school supplies and basically puts the cost-factor in the hands of the district.”

McKinley County students now don’t have to pay for school supplies and the lab fees – a big deal considering the cost of school supplies for one student can go as high as $70 per pupil per in a given school year. And we won’t dare get into Gallup’s high gross receipts tax rate, which at 8.3125 percent is one of the highest in New Mexico.

From our standpoint, Hyatt and crew hit a home run with this move, which didn’t require a formal board vote. The move to not charge students was a perfect example of what people in power can do when they care and get together and support the community. As we’ve noted on this page numerous times before, the volunteer spirit in McKinley County is alive and well and surfaces when one least expects.

But the school district sincerity is something that’s not always found in communities. There are caring people everywhere, of course, but a community that is able to give and not expect anything back, particularly in a poor and rural county, is commendable.