(The Daily Advertiser) – The Lafayette Parish School Board voted Tuesday to keep school security officers at all high school campuses.

There had been a proposal to eliminate four of those positions to save about $232,000 in next year’s budget. The district is facing a deficit of about $10 million for the 2016-17 fiscal year

However, a majority of the board agreed that the officers play a significant role at high schools. Chief Administrative Officer Joe Craig said the security officers often deal with administrative issues, such as students with unauthorized cell phones, those skipping classes or students who leave campus without permission.

Meanwhile, school resource officers handle criminal matters, Craig said.

“Our SSO not only complements our SRO, but they go into the classrooms if we need them to diffuse situations,” said Comeaux High Principal Mary Sonnier. “We’ve been short a clerical person, so the SSO is at the front desk answering phones and printing student badges. They do a lot more than the minimum that is required.”

The board anticipates covering the cost of the positions using funds that were budgeted for fuel but were not used because of lower gas prices.

Board member Jeremy Hidalgo voted against adding back the four officers to the budget. Board President Tommy Angelle, Vice President Dawn Morris and board members Justin Centanni, Erick Knezek and Britt Latiolais were in favor of the move.

Meanwhile, the district still is planning to eliminate four social worker positions, which would save about $300,000. A proposal to keep those positions in the budget failed on a 3-3 vote, with Angelle, Centanni and Morris voting against it.

Superintendent Donald Aguillard said that will leave the district with eight social workers, covering approximately five schools each.

“That’s a tall order and a tough responsibility. We realize that,” Aguillard said. “When you are downsizing the organization, you have to make tough decisions. It’s not to say that any one person or category is more important than another … Ideally, we would have one (social worker) at every school, but we’re not in that position.”

The board also voted to hire seven English as a Second Language teachers at a cost of $469,000.

The next budget hearing is scheduled for Thursday.