Board authorizes one‑year renegotiation of school nursing contract with Legacy

Staff presented background that the district has contracted with Legacy Silverton Medical Center (formerly Silverton Hospital) for school nursing services since 1995 and that the current agreement has been renewed in annual terms. The staff memo said the district is legally required to provide nursing services that assist students with disabilities to access special education.

Staff recommended authorizing a special procurement and renegotiation with the incumbent for one additional year while the district studies long-term procurement options. "We are recommending the renegotiation of the existing contract with the incumbent contractor, Legacy Silverton Hospital, for 1 additional year while this review is conducted," a staff presenter said.

Board members asked for cost details; staff said nursing costs for 2023–24 were about $500,000 and projected about $300,000 for 2024–25 under the proposed terms. Members also raised concerns that staffing would drop from about 3.9 nurses to 2.5 nurses next year for the district and asked whether grants or other sources could offset the service requirement. Questions about whether the district could hire its own nurses or find alternative vendors were raised; staff said the district would explore other options for future years but lacked time this summer to reprocure for 2024–25.

The board moved and seconded the staff recommendation; a roll-call vote recorded 'Yes' from Aaron, Josh, Jennifer and Phil and the motion passed. The approval authorizes the renegotiation under district procurement policy category for special procurements and extends the contract for the stated term.