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Committee adds registered nurses to educator salary-adjustment eligibility
Summary
Senate Bill 75 was amended to include registered school nurses among employees eligible for educator salary adjustments; witnesses emphasized school nurses' role in individualized health care plans and retaining staff.
The Senate education committee unanimously approved an amendment to Senate Bill 75 to add registered school nurses to the list of educators eligible for the state educator salary adjustment.
Senator Musselman presented the change after a constituent raised the omission. Marie Evans, a school nurse supervisor with 16 years as a school nurse, described nurses’ responsibilities—developing individualized health care plans, training staff and delivering health-promotion lessons—and argued that including registered nurses would help recruitment and retention. Testimony from school-board and district representatives noted past instances where nurses were excluded from earlier bonus programs and said the amendment corrects that oversight.
The committee adopted the amendment and then voted unanimously to recommend SB 75, as amended, to the full Senate. Committee discussion clarified the amendment does not mandate increased staffing ratios or require districts to hire more nurses; it simply makes registered nurses eligible for salary-adjustment funding.
