Jennifer Serreis Savoier, a parent and advocate, urged the Moline-Coal Valley CUSD 40 Board of Education on June 23 to reclassify and increase pay for school nurses so their titles and compensation reflect their medical responsibilities.

Savoier told the board her two school‑age children include students with juvenile diabetes and that daily care at school "depended on those nurses." She said nurses in the district perform crisis response, manage chronic care and act as a link between physicians and families.

"We do have some incredible nurses in our school district," she said, naming Kevin Nelson, Patty Schafer and Amber Newman as examples. "That kind of peace of mind is priceless. But the reality is ... we are not paying our nurses what they are worth." She added that some nurses are classified and paid "as if you were paraprofessionals. That's simply not right."

Savoier pointed to the Rock Island School District as an example that has changed how it classifies and compensates nurses and urged Moline‑Coal Valley to follow. Her remarks were delivered during the public comment portion of the June 23 meeting; no board action on classification or pay was taken at that time.

The comment period appeared to be limited by meeting rules (speakers reminded to keep remarks to five minutes). The board did not announce any immediate next steps in response to Savoier's comments during the meeting.