Schools are taking big hits. Thanks to a shortfall in the state budget, schools realize that drastic cuts must be made. Sometimes those cuts are so drastic, they’re hard to comprehend.

For instance, in neighboring Jefferson County, the school district announced last week it would need to make about $40 million in cuts for next year’s budget. The district must now figure out the best way to find that much money in its operations to pare down.

The number “$40 million” seems huge, and almost out of comprehension. We thought we’d try to put that into more manageable terms, and searched the Internet to see what $40 million was worth to the rest of the world.

First, it would buy the new home that Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt purchased last fall in Northern Italy. Even with stables, a vineyard, theater and a massive house, it seems the couple didn’t get much of a deal.

Reportedly, $40 million a year wasn’t enough for St. Louis Cardinals’ baseball player Albert Pujols to sign a new contract with his team. It’s difficult to imagine that $246,000 per game wasn’t enough to entice the player to politely sign the contact and then shut his mouth.

For Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, $40 million was his price tag for a five-year contract to play football. Ironically, Peterson said this week that playing for the NFL is akin to “modern-day slavery,” according to Yahoo Sports. Peterson, unhappy with the current negotiations with NFL owners, apparently thinks he’s being unfairly treated, and that his $40 million is somehow unfair.

Insurance adjusters are pinning the price of damages from the tsunami last weekend along the West Coast at $40 million. That’s a lot of boats, piers, houses and beaches to be repaired.

In Denver, the median price for a home is now $245,000. Dividing that into $40 million means someone could buy 163 median-priced homes, or the equivalent of a decent sized subdivision.

In Colorado, the average teacher’s salary is in the neighborhood of $48,000 per year. The $40 million would pay the salary of 833 teachers.

From the perspective of celebrities and big-time athletes, apparently $40 million isn’t all that much. For the people along the West Coast, it’s a considerable amount. But here at home in Adams County, Jefferson County and throughout the state, we’re dealing with huge numbers that won’t be easily comprehended, or absorbed.