GIVEN THREE YEARS of cutbacks in state government, and another tough year looming, this is not a time when expenses already trimmed from the budget are likely candidates for reinstatement. But that’s what Gov. Mark Sanford has suggested, advocating the restoration of a full $1,500 benefit for adoptions.

Stories of the governor being a zealous cutter of expenses, in public and private dollars, are innumerable. But there’s sensible trimming, and there’s being foolishly cheap. Restoring the full $1,500 adoption incentive (from a current $250) is both sensible for the state and right for the children involved.

The plan, if approved by the Legislature, would give $1,500 to any family adopting a child in South Carolina considered more difficult to place because of such factors as disability, race or age. The money can help families deal with the legal and other financial obligations of becoming adoptive parents, which can be considerable. Department of Social Services Director Kim Aydlette says that the agency hears from people considering adoption that the cost can be a barrier with only the current $250 stipend.

(Rep. Jim DeMint also should be commended for his efforts at the federal level to encourage adoptions. In 2001, Rep. DeMint helped push the federal tax credit for any adoption to $10,000. This year, he has introduced legislation to make that credit permanent, rather than lapsing for 2011.)

Helping these families is nice, but is it that important to the state? When you look at the consequences of not doing so, the effort makes sense. Children who get some consistent parental figure, such as a long-term foster or adoptive parent, go on to better academic success than those without such a stable situation. Those children who never get that stable foundation to their lives, it stands to reason, are more likely to depend on state agencies for help, from DSS to Mental Health to, sadly, Corrections. A stable family base is that important — state government should prevent future troubles by helping these children out now.

But more vital than the fiscal case is the moral one. There’s no debate about the best growing climate for children: It’s a family. Getting more children out of the government’s auspices and under the roofs of adoptive parents, where they can best become successful citizens, should be a top priority of this, or any, government.

Almost 5,000 children are in foster care in South Carolina; for the lucky minority of those who will be adopted, the average wait is four years. Cutting that wait time in half is a worthy goal. This money, while not the entire answer, will help.

This increased stipend would not come cheap. The projected cost is $575,000 in the first year, a number that is likely to make budget-watchers in the Legislature wince. But it needs doing: That’s why those who are responsible for the state’s budget must make some tough choices. Hard, targeted cuts will have to be made, so that programs to meet essential needs for children, such as the increased adoption benefit, can be put in place.