This is in response to an article in the Sun Journal March 10, “Parenting program faces state budget ax.”

The program should not be cut. It helps abusive parents and teaches them the right way to be parents. Each year it helps out between 150 to 200 families. If the program gets cut, all of the families being helped would go without help regarding parenting. There is a chance that some parents might get angry over little things and start being abusive. That would not be good.

Also, if the program gets cut, six individuals with college degrees would lose their jobs. Those people went to school to learn how to help others and if their jobs get cut, they would not make any money and would struggle until they found new jobs.

One more reason why the program should not get cut is because 7.2 percent of the people they work with are less than the age of 18. If the program is cut, those clients would have no real help as to the correct way to be a parent. And that applies to parents of any age. There would be no one available to help with parenting skills and the abuse rate could increase.

My goal is to convince Gov. Paul LePage not to cut such an important program.

Jake Plummer, student

Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School