Panel approves bill setting school nurse ratio at 1:750 and raising reimbursement
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Summary
House Bill 22 85 would require at least one school nurse per attended school building, set a staffing ratio of one nurse per 750 students, and increase noncategorical reimbursement to $12.61 per ADM; the committee passed the bill 14–12 amid questions about workforce shortages and lack of penalties for noncompliance.
House Bill 22 85, sponsored by Representative Borowski, would require each school building attended by students to have at least one school nurse, establish a staffing ratio of one certified school nurse per 750 students, and increase the reimbursement for school health services to $12.61 per average daily membership (ADM).
"Pennsylvania is facing a worsening school nursing shortage at a time where the needs for student health are more complex than ever," Representative Borowski said, describing constituent cases in which one nurse handled more than 100 students in a single day and arguing for a data-driven update to the state's school health funding system.
Representative Anderson and others praised the idea but asked what penalties or consequences the bill includes if districts cannot meet the ratio. Committee staff answered that the statute contains no direct repercussion or consequence for failing to meet the ratio, prompting questions about how the policy would be enforced or incentivized.
Chair Cutler said changing the ratio alone may not be sufficient to address shortages and urged targeted funding and strategies to broaden the pool of qualified applicants, citing past changes to teacher certification to expand candidate pools.
The committee took a roll call; the ayes were 14 and the nays 12 and the motion passed. Members requested additional data on the reimbursement calculation and noted budgetary discussions would be necessary to implement the staffing goals.
