Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Board debate erupts after administration proposes reducing PRN nurse spending to save about $412,000
Summary
The district proposed reducing PRN nurse pay to save roughly $412,000, prompting testimony from the district's school-health manager that PRNs cover hundreds of absence days and critical daily medical needs.
Hamilton County Schools' proposed budget options include eliminating or reducing PRN (per-diem/substitute) nursing pay—an item the administration estimates would save roughly $412,000, equivalent in the draft to about six full-time nurse FTEs.
Marissa Borgers, manager of school health programs, told the finance committee that PRN nurses are used to cover short-term absences and to support schools with very high medical needs. "If our kids are not healthy, they can't learn. They can't thrive," Borgers said, citing daily clinical work school nurses perform and specific incidents the district has managed this year: dozens of tube-feedings at some schools, emergency epinephrine administrations, hundreds of albuterol treatments and dozens of emergency seizure medications.
Borgers…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
