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Board hears concerns about cuts to school nurse hours and counselor FTE
Summary
Staff and board members described services provided by RN Ian Jarman and debated reducing his contract and cutting a 0.2 FTE high-school counselor; administration estimated a seven-day reduction in nurse days would save roughly $7,000 compared with a 15-day reduction.
Multiple staff speakers and board members urged caution about reducing the district nurse’s hours during the budget discussion. A staff member told the committee the RN manages individualized health plans, maintains AEDs and Narcan, coordinates screenings and handles medications for field trips; the speaker warned reductions would reduce operational efficiency and medical continuity. “We have Ian as an intermediary, and he's got his radio on all day, and he comes flying whenever needed,” one administrator said.
Administration clarified the budget scenarios: an initial volunteer reduction was seven furlough days, but the proposed sheet showed 15 days (a roughly 10% reduction). The business office estimated the cost difference between a 15-day cut and a seven-day reduction at about $7,000. For counseling, the superintendent suggested reducing a high-school counselor by roughly 0.2 FTE (about one day per week) with flexible scheduling options (for example a 190-day contract plus noncontract days) to mitigate impacts on student services. Board members asked administration to confer with affected staff about scheduling and service coverage before final decisions and noted the district must balance fiscal demands with service continuity.
Next steps: administration will refine options (including a potential 190-day contract alternative and smaller furlough adjustments), confer with staff and present final figures at the board adoption meeting.
