The School Department is on target to cut 13 teachers next year, Interim School Superintendent Donna Hogan said.
LUDLOW — School Committee members appeared before the Board of Selectmen Tuesday night and said they would not have sufficient funds to pay their share of a school resource officer in next year’s school budget.
Interim School Superintendent Donna Hogan said she has had to cut nearly $600,000 from the School Department budget to stay within the parameters given by the Board of Selectmen. She said the School Department would be cutting 13 teachers next year and would not be able pay for half the school resource officer position.
Selectman William Rooney said he was flabbergasted to hear the news after both the School Committee and the police chief agreed to share the cost of the resource officer position.
“I went before 900 people last week and said we would be funding the position,” Rooney said. “It boggles my mind that this is no longer a top priority. I am extremely disappointed.”
Selectmen Chairman Jason Barroso said he cannot believe that out of a $25 million budget, the School Department cannot find $23,000. He said the Police Department is willing to come up with the funds out of a $3 million budget.
Parents, grandparents, students and educators jammed the Ludlow High School auditorium last week to hear what could be done to combat a growing problem with illegal use of prescription pain killers. Detective Sgt. Thomas Foye said the abuse of prescription pain killers is becoming a suburban epidemic.
Drug addiction leads to an increasing number of house breaks, Foye said. He said that during the month of February there were 15 house breaks in town.
“Ninety nine percent of house breaks are drug related,” Foye said.
Hogan said parents need to take responsibility and not buy alcohol for teens and justify it by saying they will take the teens’ keys.
Rooney said one start to solving the problem would be to restore a school resource officer position at the high school