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Richland 2 public commenters press board to raise pay, improve staffing amid budget talks
Summary
Dozens of district employees and contractors spoke during a public input session on the 2025–26 budget asking the board to raise pay and change staffing structures for nurses, behavior analysts, student activities directors, guest teachers and speech-language pathologists.
Dozens of employees and contractors addressed the Richland School District 2 board during the public input session on the 2025–26 budget, urging higher pay and changes to staffing that they said are needed to recruit and retain qualified staff.
The comments opened with Dawn McAdams, coordinator for health services for Richland School District 2, who outlined staffing needs and pay disparities among school nurses. “School nursing is not for the faint of heart,” McAdams said, describing the scope of school nurse responsibilities from immunization audits and individualized health plans to life‑threatening emergencies. She said the district currently has 37 full‑time registered nurses with one vacancy and 12 guest nurses. McAdams requested higher experience credit on the nursing salary schedule, pay for advanced degrees and national certification, an increase in guest nurse pay and additional RNs so high schools would have two RNs each and a lead nurse to support mentorship and retention.
Public commenters representing other groups asked the board to revise pay and supplement…
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