When problems arise, some people complain and some try to find solutions.

It’s great to see a group of Lawrence teachers, students and parents among the latter.

Reductions in the Lawrence school district budget forced school board members to make some unpleasant cuts. Among those cuts were reductions in the number of school custodians and the elimination of bus service for students who live within 2.5 miles of school.

The first instinct for everyone affected by those cuts was probably to sit back and complain, but at least some people soon got past that and tried to figure out how to make the lemons into lemonade.

A group of Schwegler School families who lost bus service this year thought it unwise for their children to have to walk sizable distances and cross highly traveled streets to get to school. The alternative was to drive their children to school and face a crush of vehicles that lined up in front of the school and stretched into surrounding neighborhoods.

Not pleased with their options, they sought another solution. The answer was a bus that makes two central stops in the Prairie Meadows Neighborhood and transports a couple of dozen students to and from Schwegler. The bus is operated by the same company that operates other buses for local schools and is paid for by families who use the service. The payments are funneled through the Schwegler PTA, which may even make a profit if ridership on the bus remains strong.

Win-win.

Further west, teachers at Sunflower School were faced with diminished help after the district eliminated the school’s part-time evening custodial position. They decided to turn the situation into a “teachable moment” for their students by enlisting them for a few minutes a day to help with some simple chores like emptying trash cans and wiping off their desks.

They aren’t going to take over all of the chores of a paid custodian, but there’s nothing wrong with teaching them to take care of their own work space and pitch in on a few extra cleanup jobs. The teachers also say their students are proud to take responsibility and help out.

Sunflower parents no doubt are hoping these lessons transfer to their students’ home life.

Not all parents can pursue the same busing solution negotiated by the Schwegler parents, and every school must find its own way to deal with custodial cutbacks, but it’s heartening to see people working together and seeking positive, cooperative solutions to problems rather than sitting back and waiting for someone else to do it for them. They’re setting a great example for parents, their students and the rest of the community.