In what has been one of the darkest hours for its school system, Salem can count itself fortunate in having a mayor who refused to simply accept the consequences of fiscal catastrophe.

Confronted with a budget gap totaling millions of dollars - the legacy of a devious school business manager installed by her predecessor - Kim Driscoll could have simply ordered the necessary cuts and left it to Superintendent William Cameron and his staff to muddle through until the end of the fiscal year in June.

Instead, she rallied the community and now, apparently, the leadership on Beacon Hill to get behind the schools and allow students to finish out the year with a minimum of disruption.

Let there be no mistake, despite Friday's news regarding emergency legislation to aid the city, some jobs will likely be lost and difficult decisions must still be made this spring so next year's budget will be one taxpayers can afford.

Despite the late word that scheduled layoffs were being put on hold for at least a week, Friday was a tough day for many within the school system. Several dozen employees began the day thinking it would be their last working in Salem, and ended it still feeling the uncertainty that has hung over the system since the budget gap was discovered late last fall.

But what we've seen in recent weeks is the kind of activism - from parents and their children, from business people, from institutions large and small, from members of the city's legislative delegation, but particularly from the mayor - that's all too rare these days.

They didn't like where the required budget cuts were taking their schools, so they decided to do something about it.

The result is the rescue plan that is still unfolding as of today. It may not be everything everyone wants, but it sure beats doing nothing.