Gov. Tom Wolf properly has vetoed a "stopgap" budget passed by legislative Republicans, which would have funded a few things as they wanted them funded and diminished pressure to pass an actual budget.

Meanwhile, the absence of an actual budget has begun to create substantial costs of its own. State Auditor General Eugene DePasquale has reported that 22 of the state's 500 school districts have borrowed more than $350 million so far to make up for state subsidies that have been delayed by the budget impasse.Interest on that borrowing alone will be at least $11.2 million, according to the auditor general. As more districts are forced to borrow that cost will rise, not only because of the increased dollar amount.Rating services have begun to reduce the credit ratings of some districts precisely because they cannot say when they will receive state funding.DePasquale reported that at least one district, Steelton-Highspire in Dauphin County, has not been able to obtain a loan.Wolf has begun to appeal to individual Republican lawmakers in an effort to muster one-vote majorities in each house of the Legislature for a comprehensive budget.They should be all ears.And, since the interest charges being rung up by school districts are not the districts' fault, the lawmakers should pay those charges from their own reserve funds rather than using that money to pay themselves for not adopting a realistic budget.- Citizens' VoiceThe foregoing opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board or Times News LLC.