Students who need to get their GED's in Central Oregon will need to travel to Jefferson County. Because of a state budget shortfall, the GED program will no longer be offered by the High Desert Education Service District in Redmond. Spokesperson Linda Quon says it was a tough decision to cut the popular program: “GED testing is very important. We think it is a very important stepping stone for people going on to college. Since 1986, we've tested more than 5500 individuals in Central Oregon and they've all gone on to obtain their GED certificates." High Desert ESD took over the program in 1986 when Central Oregon Community College was no longer able to provide the service. GED testing costs the ESD about $78,000 a year, but they only collect about $58,000 in testing fees.