Robeson schools to end COVID-era CNA positions; 34 roles set to lapse June 13

The Public Schools of Robeson County finance committee was told that 34 certificated nursing assistant (CNA) positions created during the COVID-19 response will not be continued after June 13, district staff said.

The CNA roles “were originally created during the 2122 school year with a DHHS grant,” Erica, a district staff member, told the committee, adding that the original grant supported contact tracing and that “that grant covered the CNAs through the 2223 school year.” Erica said the district used ESSER 3 funding to pay the positions through Sept. 30, 2024, and that 34 positions now remain.

Why it matters: The CNAs were hired to help with COVID contact tracing when school nurses and on-site health staff were overwhelmed; ending the funded positions could change how schools handle day-to-day health incidents and data collection unless other staffing adjustments are made.

District legal counsel Kamal told the board the cutoff does not qualify as a reduction in force under district policy because the positions were tied to specific, time-limited funding. “Those positions were tied to a direct funding. And since that fund is no longer present or available, we’re able…to release those employees. So this is not considered a rift,” Kamal said.

Officials provided numbers: the CNA program began with 52 positions; 34 remain and the district estimates those 34 positions cost $1,484,000 including salary, a 2% supplement, FICA and retirement match, and hospitalization. Of the 34, Erica said 24 are paid from state low-wealth allotments and 10 are paid from federal Title IV or PRC 108 funding.

Board members asked about immediate operational impacts. Bradley asked what the district would have in place for school nurses after the CNAs departed; staff said all school nurses currently employed will be retained and that each school previously covered by nurses will continue to have assigned nurse schedules that can be updated as needed. “Prior to our CNAs, every school was covered by a school nurse,” Erica said, while district staff clarified some nurses cover multiple sites or split days between locations.

Committee members pressed whether affected CNAs had been notified. Erica said staff have signed yearly documents acknowledging that positions could end pending funding, but that the district had not yet issued final individual notices for next school year; staff said they plan to notify employees and give them priority for other openings.

Discussion vs. direction vs. decision: Committee discussion described funding timelines, staffing coverage and legal status. There was no formal board vote recorded on the CNA positions during the finance committee; staff said the positions will end when funding ends and that affected employees will be given priority for other roles.