The outlook is a little brighter for the future of many of Alabama’s state parks after Gov. Robert Bentley ordered a delay in the closing of four parks and two golf courses earlier this week.

It’s only a small win in the battle to keep over a dozen state parks open, but it’s at least a step in the right direction. Earlier this month it was announced that as many as 15 of the state’s 22 parks would close — including Paul M. Grist State Park in Selma —causing great concern around the state.

Bentley hasn’t been shy during his second term and has noted time and time again that extreme measures must be taken to ensure that Alabama’s General Fund gets out of the deficit its drowning in.

While we agree with the governor’s aggressive stance, closing state parks isn’t the way to go.

In the ongoing battle to solve the Rubik’s Cube that is Alabama’s General Fund, there’s got to be a better solution or in the very least a more popular one.

We understand that the situation is dire and that many programs are going to be cut as state leaders try to apply more than just apply a Band Aid to the state’s financial woes, but the idea of closing state parks should be taken off the table.

We encourage those in the legislature to work quickly and try to find a workable solution to the government shortfall without closing state parks and without requiring a special session. Given the financial problems the state is already wading its way through, a special session would only add to the expense.

There’s ample time allotted to fix the state budget, but it’s going to take teamwork from both sides, a lot of compromise and well-researched solutions to make it happen. However, closing state parks isn’t one of them.