School nurses urge pay and staffing changes as board weighs pay-schedule options

School nurses urged the Hannibal School Board to address heavy workloads and compensation as the board considered whether to align nurse pay with the teacher salary schedule.

During administrative discussion, a board member proposed moving school nurses onto the district teacher salary schedule starting next year to improve recruitment and retention. Administrators cautioned such a move could reduce pay-setting flexibility and argued market comparisons and working-condition improvements (manageable caseloads, reasonable med-pass policies, and exit interviews) should also be evaluated. One administrator said, "I would probably not put it to the teacher salary scale ... I would probably do market comparisons and ask the nurses who are trained about how to do med passes and about ways to listen to them a little bit," urging exit interviews and targeted retention steps.

A school nurse who spoke during patron comments described the scope of work and the toll it takes: "This is the hardest job I've ever done," she said, describing single-nurse coverage across buildings, handling medical needs and broader social-support issues, and often working additional jobs because of pay levels. The nurse and other commenters urged the board to consider workload, retention, and recognition of professional development credits when crafting compensation proposals.

Administrators noted the district already performs exit surveys and can provide a breakdown of nurse credentials (RNs vs. LPNs) and current staffing patterns; the board asked staff to prepare comparative data on local market pay and possible salary-schedule frameworks for future discussion.

Next steps: administrators will produce comparative pay data, credential breakdowns and retention analyses for board review; no formal compensation change was adopted at the meeting.