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School board reviews contract with county health department amid concern over nursing funding cuts
Summary
The New Hanover County Board of Education reviewed a contract with New Hanover County Health and Human Services to provide school health services and school nurses. Board members and staff clarified funding sources, state allotment rules and recent county reductions; no formal policy change was made at the meeting.
The New Hanover County Board of Education discussed a contract with New Hanover County Health and Human Services to provide school health services and school nurses, and board members pressed administration for details about funding sources and recent reductions. Board members said state allotment changes and county budget adjustments have altered how many nurses the district can fund directly.
Board members said the public should understand county and state funding decisions that affect the district's ability to staff nurses in schools. Superintendent and staff described how the state allotment for health positions is used and how recent budget shifts reduced county contributions for nursing services.
Board member Tim Merrick said the public needed to know how decisions outside the district affected school health staffing: “This is what our county commission has done for us. They've taken $1,400,000 away from us for nurses,” Merrick said, and added the district did not choose to reduce nursing coverage.
District staff explained that the state recently adjusted allotments — moving nurses out of a broader instructional-support allotment and into a separate allotment — and that change did not increase overall staffing allotments for the district. Assistant Superintendent Ashley (last name not specified in the transcript) told the board the allotment is used for EC health services positions and that the district is using that funding for those roles.
Board members asked for clarifications about background checks and personnel policies tied to the contract; staff confirmed the MOU includes standard background-check language and agreed to follow up where language was unclear.
The board did not take a vote on any change to the contract during the meeting. Instead, members asked staff to return with more precise data on how state allotments, county contributions and contract terms combine to produce the district’s current nurse staffing level.
District and board leaders said they will share additional detail about whether lost county funding will be restored or replaced by other sources, and staff said they would provide a written follow-up for the board and for public records.
