Letter: $1M ‘gift’ to UA but not $50K for school children?

I am sure this will be but one of many comments you will get regarding the $1 million donation/gift/whatever you want to call it that the city gave to the university in an effort to keep teacher education here at the University of Alaska Southeast. First and foremost, I am not against the efforts to keep the school here, I applaud it.

[CBJ’s $1M pledge helped sway College of Ed decision]

The reason for this letter is to ask our esteemed city leaders why they can not find $50,000 per year to watch out for the health and well-being of the 4,600 or so students throughout the school district while they can somehow find $1,000,000 when it suits their needs? A few years ago during budget cutting times the school district cut five of the 10 school nurses, replacing them with health assistants. Since that time, each of the five remaining nurses must cover two schools (the health assistant sits in the nurses office at one of the schools but has limited responsibilities). Which would you rather have available to your child while at school: a licensed Registered Nurse or an unlicensed health assistant? This is not meant to be a slight against the health assistants, they do an admirable job.

I can attest first-hand to the additional stress and fatigue that the decision to cut those positions has brought on the remaining school nurses. And to what end was this decision made? Strictly a cost-saving measure. How much is being saved you might ask? About $50,000 each year. The starting wage for the unlicensed and minimally trained health assistant is $21.38 per hour. The starting wage for a licensed Registered Nurse is $28.62 per hour (it is $29.39 for a Registered Nurse with a bachelor of science in nursing degree). Doing the math of 7.5 hours per day and 180 days per school year, the difference between the fully licensed/schooled Registered Nurse and the health assistant is a little over $10,000! Come on, city — find some funds that can be used to help all of our children daily while at school and tell the school board to use them for that purpose. I challenge you to ask parents with children at the schools that have Registered Nurses their opinion on the importance of having that nurse available throughout the day.

Tim Powers

Husband of an overworked school nurse

Juneau