Claire Gilbert is reporting for The Columbia Paper the Chatham school board last week continued its 2018-19 budget discussions, with much of the conversation revolving around whether the school resource deputy position should be transitioned to full time. In Columbia County, three other school districts already have full-time resource officers, and by next year, all except Chatham will be increased to full time. Chatham’s current school resource officer, Ian Boehme, assumed his school duties in August 2017, and now divides his time between the Chatham and New Lebanon school districts. At part-time, the deputy is provided by the county Sheriff's Office at no cost to the district, but if the position is made full time, it would cost the Chatham schools an additional $40,000. District Superintendent Salvatore DeAngelo and school principals Kristen Reno, Michael Burns and John Thorsen all spoke in support of the proposal. The general response from the board was positive, but some expressed misgivings. “Could we take $40,000 and get a guidance counselor who would give us more bang for our buck?” asked Rachel Galvin. No consensus was reached, and discussions will continue as the spending plan is finalized. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.