SWAMPSCOTT – School Committee member Marianne Hartmann questioned if staff cuts were affecting the time middle school guidance counselors spent with students at a meeting Wednesday night.Hartmann said since the guidance secretary position had been cut years ago, guidance counselors were too bogged down with clerical work to meet with students who needed counseling, and the need grew worse as the school added a fifth grade.?We increased a grade and got rid of a full-time position – I feel like it?s the perfect storm,” said Hartmann. “How do we free up these people to do what their job really is without band-aid solutions?”Superintendent Lynne Celli said Principal Robert Murphy had two secretaries from his office switch over to the guidance office for an hour per day, alternating days between them, to help with the paperwork from the counselors.Hartmann said that may not be enough, as she passed around the page-long requirements of the guidance secretary?s position description. “This can?t be taken care of in one hour a day,” she said.Celli said Murphy did not deem the position necessary during a recent evaluation of staff needed for the middle school.?I think it needs to be re-evaluated,” said Hartmann.Committee member Ted Delano suggested the position be filled by an internship with a student from Marian Court College or Salem State University, but Celli said the student wouldn?t be bound by confidentiality laws. Budget Director Ed Cronin added that because it is a union position they would have to appeal to the state secretary union.?Is it worth asking a question?” asked Hartmann. Celli agreed, and added that she would inquire to find a more permanent solution. Celli thanked Murphy for “being creative with the resources he has.”Kait Taylor can be reached at [email protected].