County hears request for full‑time nurse at Stoner Thomas, schools outline HVAC needs
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Summary
Davidson County Schools asked commissioners to fund a full‑time nurse at Stoner Thomas, which serves about 90 medically fragile students, and presented multi‑million dollar estimates for kitchen and gym air‑conditioning projects; staff recommended prioritizing cafeteria cooling to lock in current bid pricing.
Davidson County Schools asked the Board of Commissioners on March 5 to fund a full‑time nurse at Stoner Thomas, a specialized program serving about 90 students with severe disabilities, and outlined capital projects for school cafeterias and gyms.
"Having a full‑time nurse there is essential for the students with everything from feeding tubes to mobility issues," said the district representative introduced by county staff. The district said the county currently contracts with Emergis Healthcare for a nurse at Stoner Thomas at a cost that “currently sits over $156,000,” and that nursing coverage gaps require instructional staff to step away from teaching to manage medical needs.
Dr. Coley, the district official who described the school’s instructional and health needs, said about 85% of students have current health care plans and roughly 30% require seizure care plans; in some cases staff must administer emergency medications. "When nursing coverage is limited, instructional staff must step away from teaching to manage medical needs," the official said.
School operations staff also briefed commissioners on HVAC priorities. Chris Johnston said a pre‑COVID quote indicated roughly $325,000 to upgrade a single school kitchen; after accounting for inflation, the district is estimating roughly $3,000,000 for cafeteria projects in a first phase and about $13,000,000 to address 14 gyms across the county. Johnston recommended prioritizing cafeterias to preserve existing bid pricing.
Commissioners asked technical and food‑safety questions about holding temperatures and refrigeration; a county health official said state rules allow a four‑hour window for food held outside required temperatures but noted practical concerns for staff working over hot surfaces.
The board did not vote on the nurse request or capital expenditures; staff said those items will be folded into the budget process and the five‑year capital plan for further review. Commissioners asked the district to return with final bids and funding proposals for formal consideration.
Next steps: district staff will provide cost breakdowns and bid timing; the county manager indicated the projects would be evaluated as part of the coming budget and capital plan decisions.