State budget woes imperil school nurses

School nurse Constance Hoffman stays busy.

During a typical workday at Alcova Elementary in Dacula, Hoffman measures diabetic students’ blood sugar levels and gives them insulin shots. She heals stomachaches, hands out peppermints to soothe sore throats, and bandages bumps, cuts and scrapes. She treats students wheezing from asthma attacks and pupils prone to seizures.

Hoffman, a registered nurse for more than 30 years, spent the bulk of her career in hospital intensive care units. Now, as a nurse in a school health clinic, she sees about 60 students a day and finds her job just as hard as working in a hospital. She worries jobs like hers will be eliminated because of state budget cuts.

“The loss of the clinic worker would be devastating,” she said. “Students would not be served if the clinic worker position was cut.”

Parents and educators also are asking what schools would do without school nurses ever since Gov. Sonny Perdue recommended eliminating the $30 million the state spends on the positions. The move comes as state leaders try to cut about $2 billion from the budget because of the weak economy.

The governor’s recommendation is not an attempt to devalue school nurses, spokesman Bert Brantley said. The priority is to place as much money as possible into the basic school funding formula and focus on classroom programs, he said. “We don’t have enough money to go around,” Brantley said.

Not every Georgia school has its own full-time nurse, and many are assigned to more than one school. Georgia schools average 1 nurse per 1,598 students, according to the Georgia Association of School Nurses. The national average is 1 nurse per 1,151 students.

The loss of state funding will force many cash-strapped school districts to get rid of the nurses or to find extra money to pay them. Before Perdue’s proposed budget cuts, the state’s appropriation covered from 35 to 70 percent of what most Atlanta area districts spend on nurses, according to local systems. The rest had to come from local tax revenue.

Cherokee County Superintendent Frank Petruzielo predicted he will be forced to cut school nurse positions because of the loss of state money. Other school leaders say it’s too soon to tell.

Brantley said school districts may use other money the state provides to pay nurses. But, under the proposed state budget, districts face about $275 million in cuts in basic school money next year, so using funds for nurses will be difficult.

Georgia was one of a few states providing money specifically for school nurses, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. West Virginia, for example, provides 1 nurse for every 1,500 students in kindergarten through seventh grade. Others classify school nurses as allowable expenditures. Minnesota provides schools with an extra $30 for each student, which can be spent to pay nurses, counselors or social workers.

When discussing the proposed budget, Georgia schools Superintendent Kathy Cox told lawmakers the elimination of school nurses “concerns me the most.” She said school nurses play a critical role, especially for medically fragile children.

Jessica Frasure’s 6-year-old son, for instance, has diabetes. He goes to the school nurse at Pickett’s Mill Elementary in Acworth about six times a day so his blood sugar level can be checked, and the nurse typically gives him insulin shots when he needs them.

“It’s already hard enough sending my baby to school, but at least I know there’s a nurse there if anything goes wrong,” Frasure said. “If she’s not there, who will help him? “

Many parents fear that if there are no school nurses, their kids will be treated by teachers, secretaries and others with no medical training —- a trend already happening across the country.

School nurses are treating more students with chronic diseases, and for many children the school nurse is the only access they have to professional health care, said Joanne Giel, president of the state school nurse group.

“The role of a school nurse cannot be replicated by someone else,” Giel said. “I can’t suddenly teach algebra and a teacher can’t suddenly be a nurse. We provide a service. We help keep these kids healthy so they can be in the classroom and learn.”

SCHOOL NURSES

Gov. Sonny Perdue proposed eliminating the $30 million school nurse program. School districts use that money and local tax revenue to hire nurses, clinic aides and others to take care of students.

………………………………Student

District ..Nurses*……Cost……..enrollment

Atlanta……63 ….$3.5 million……49,032

Cherokee ….44 ….$1.45 million ….37,275

Clayton……40 ….$1.2 million……49,508

Cobb……..121 ….$4.8 million ….106,747

DeKalb ……82 ….$3.2 million……99,775

Fulton……110 ….$3.5 million……88,299

Gwinnett….110 ….$3.6 million ….157,219

Marietta ….10 ….$380,000 ……….7,869

Source: Area school districts, Georgia Department of Education

* NOTE: Includes full- and part-time nurses. Nurses can include RNs, LPNs and unlicensed personnel to work in clinics.