Penn. school uses sheep to cut lawns due to budget cuts

[Ed Jewett]

An imaginative school district in the borough of Carlisle, Pennsylvania has found an innovative way to save money after a $2 million reduction in state support.

The Carlisle School District is using seven sheep belonging to the principal of Carlisle's Wilson Middle School to cut their six-acre lawn. Having sheep nibble on the grass instead of hiring workers is expected to save the district about $15,000 this year in mowing costs.

"They've done a good job so far," Superintendent John Friend told Stateline.

"There were some people who called the principals," he added. "They thought that someone was playing a prank."

The liberal blog ThinkProgress noted the sheep would be unnecessary if Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett ® ended special interest tax breaks benefiting corporations instead of approving $900 million in education cuts.

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/08/24/pe...dget-cuts/