Boston has a split personality when it comes to finances. On the one hand, a projected $53 million budget gap has spurred an all-district hiring freeze for Boston Public Schools. On the other, BPS Superintendent Mary Skipper rakes in nearly $400,000.

“At a time when districts across the Commonwealth and nation have been forced to take abrupt measures, Boston Public Schools is taking a thoughtful, measured approach focused on responsible financial management and maintaining high-quality instruction and classroom supports,” Skipper said in a statement.

“Responsible fiscal management” in the face of a massive projected budget gap somehow includes leaving six-figure salaries alone.

The district has some big bills to pay: a projected $17 million overage in health insurance costs, which it said is consistent with districts and municipalities across Massachusetts and national insurance trends.

There’s also a $17 million overage in salary and other benefits, which includes $11.5 million due to a 1% increase in fill rate; $3 million from bus monitors, primarily driven by overtime pay; $1.5 million in per diem substitutes; and $1 million from Medicare costs.

One bright note: Teachers and paraprofessionals are among the “student-facing” positions excluded from the hiring freeze.

Boston isn’t alone in this selective belt-tightening.

Federal funding cuts slashing $3.7 billion away from Massachusetts will impact at least four different fiscal years, data from Gov. Maura Healey’s office showed.

Massachusetts relies on billions in federal funding to pay for programs, major construction projects, and health care for residents.

“There is no way that any state can make up for the billions of dollars they are cutting from our budgets. Here in Massachusetts, we are doing everything we can to protect our communities from these negative impacts,” Healey said in a statement.

We can’t make up for billions, but we can plane down some big-budget expenses.

Readers of the Herald’s reports on public payroll fat cats are familiar with the lofty salaries doled out at the University of Massachusetts, aka The One Percent. The UMass system makes up for the top 61 earners across the entire state, outpacing elected officials and all other departments.

If we really want to do “everything we can to protect our communities from these negative impacts,” then there can be no sacred cows.

Gov. Maura Healey earns $222,185. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is being paid $250,000 this year. You don’t need to shell out a million to attract top talent.

Whether on the local or state level, we’re facing a fiscal emergency, thanks to federal cuts. Who knows how long they will last? It harkens back to the pandemic, when business came to a screeching halt and many workers saw their pay cut.

Some, companies, not nearly enough, also cut executive paychecks. Whether it was performative or not, the example of “all hands on deck” during a crisis is a worthy one to follow.

Trimming top-tier earners in (or close to) the Millionaire’s Club may not save the state from the full wallop of federal cuts, but it would help, and at least sends the message that taxpayers aren’t the only ones feeling the money crunch.

Editorial cartoon by Steve Kelley (Creators Syndicate)