"This is all part of the new fiscal realities we are now facing in corporate America today," he said.

"Action must be taken to acknowledge and address these fiscal realities."

But given the fiscal realities in Washington, trying to include everyone was irresponsible.

The fiscal realities of the 1990's have been a prime reason for the cutbacks.

"Recognizing the fiscal realities is half the battle," she said.

"There are times when we deal with fiscal reality," he said.

"But there are also times when one must set fiscal reality aside and look at what is the right thing to do."

The change was also an acknowledgment of fiscal reality: there seems to be no other way to pay for new roads.

The state is living beyond its means, and no amount of compromise can change that grim fiscal reality.

But to a large degree the schools are constrained in how they can deal with new fiscal realities.