They did it again. A small school district in Chautauqua County insists on wasting taxpayer dollars.

Last month, the Ripley Central Schools appointed a new principal to oversee grades kindergarten to six. While there is nothing wrong with the premise, the problem comes down to enrollment at the school. There’s only about 130 pupils.

Does a district that small need both a principal and a superintendent that likely costs $350,000 in salaries and benefits for that population? Probably not. But it’s taxpayer dollars — not private money — so that gets spent more freely.

By the way, some small school districts and their boards are under the assumption that the choices they are making, including hiring a new unneeded principal, is something that affects just the pocketbook of the residents they serve. That is not the case.

Plenty of state aid — that comes from all residents of New York — goes to these districts. The portion collected locally is usually about 25%. For Ripley, with its $9.7 million budget, that’s about $2.2 million. The rest of their money — more than $7 million — comes from the state.

It is easy for all of us to point to Albany and criticize wasteful spending while ignoring poor fiscal choices at home. To fix the problem, we all have to be part of the solution. That includes the Ripley Central Schools.