Linda Lane, Pittsburgh’s newly appointed school superintendent, will face challenges that dwarf those that faced her predecessor.

Along with all the challenges Mark Roosevelt encountered — an unconscionable racial achievement gap and high dropout rates, to name just two — Dr. Lane can expect cuts in the funds available for public education courtesy of a stalled economy and empty coffers in Harrisburg. That’s a monumental change from the past five years of modest funding increases.

In such conditions, the plethora of legal and administrative obligations placed on school districts causes many superintendents to become focused on keeping the ship afloat rather than redirecting the boat. But Dr. Lane has a golden opportunity to pursue a different path and parlay her broad support and her long-time commitment to under-served children into a much more transformative leadership role.

Tough times can make bold actions that seem impossible politically achievable, just as the Depression paved the way for the New Deal and Social Security. Dr. Lane can embrace the potential of these impending tough times to create something much better for Pittsburgh.

Here are three suggestions.

If (as expected) Gov.-elect Tom Corbett and a Republican-controlled General Assembly roll back state education funding levels, Dr. Lane should not ask all teachers to share the pain. Rather, she should make the district’s performance evaluation system as robust and data-driven as possible, and then insist that the General Assembly permit districts to furlough teachers based on