I work in a public school that is nearly 100% low-income kids. Public school funding here is 48th out of the 50 states. There's no money for anything, anywhere...which basically means that in wealthier neighborhoods, parents get a list and purchase $200+ dollars of classroom and office supplies at the beginning of the year, apart from what their individual child needs. In schools like mine, not so much.
Our teachers typically spend at least a couple hundred bucks of their own money, or sometimes considerably more, on basic supplies for their classroom (adding insult to injury, since their salaries are low).
The budget for the school health office is zero. Our resourceful administrative assistant pirated $200 from her office supply budget so I could get basic supplies from the district warehouse in September. I brought my own manual BP cuff, pulse ox, and thermometer to the office since it's out of the question to pay $300 to replace the battery and re-calibrate our Welch Allyn rolling unit. I regularly find myself picking up cough drops, disinfectant wipes, snacks, etc for school when I'm out doing my own shopping.
Do others face this issue? In a seemingly bottomless pit of needs, where do you draw the line? No one's going to die for lack of a cough drop, for sure. But there are some basic things that make my work life easier (like the organizer bags I purchased for storing medications) - sometimes I'd just rather have them than not, and I'm not going to get them any other way.
Specializes in ICU/community health/school nursing.
1 hour ago, k1p1ssk said:
THIS is why I wish school nurses could have pages on donorschoose.com.... It's AMAZING for the teachers. We have several classrooms with pages up and several have had entire initiatives funded by local and non-local funders.
Actually, we can. I am about to ask for spare pants for preK-2. I have already bought stuff from Goodwill AND asked our PTSA (who gave me some pants). I wish you luck, and @OldDude is right... you're one of the best of us.
THIS is why I wish school nurses could have pages on donorschoose.com.... It's AMAZING for the teachers. We have several classrooms with pages up and several have had entire initiatives funded by local and non-local funders.
I know I personally cannot currently afford to contribute to my health office, but I'm honestly worried I will run out of bandaids and thermometer probe covers this year. I luckily have other nurses to borrow from, and a backup temporal thermometer that I can sanitize easily (though I hate them).
Good luck!
A nurse in my district uses donorschoose and has had several projects funded. I'm hoping to connect with her and do one myself soon.
Huh, I tried to set one up and it automatically kicked me off because I Didn't select "teacher"... I feel odd lying about my profession in order to obtain items. Also, when I searched, the only health related things were for classroom-based health curriculum stuff.
When I created an account last spring, I selected "Other" for profession, and was able to specify "school nurse". I just logged in and "nurse" is an option under profession, so I changed mine. Have you tried to create an account recently?
I've purchased things in the past for my clinic - typically I stick with supplies that are necessary to aid in a quick return to the classroom. For example, new underwear, shirts, and shorts that I use for students who have blood on their clothes for one reason or another. I also purchase some diabetic supplies/snacks to have on hand in case a student runs out (I don't supply these on a regular basis - only if I forgot to give the parent enough time to bring more up). I also buy any of the extra organization supplies myself (med baskets/boxes are the biggest - I have purchased white out and file folders, etc. as well, though) that I take with me. I have also purchased pads. I was also pretty close to buying band-aids one year because the health services dept. ran out. Oh, and curtains! I bought cheap thin fabric curtains from IKEA for the tracks in my clinic. It just wasn't worth spending $100s of my budget for medical curtains had I gone through the district.
Sometimes you can find organizations who will donate samples of things (one year I got a HUGE box of sample deodorants). I've been fortunate that despite the low-income schools I've been in (one 85%, the other about 70%), they haven't been too awful - rationing paper or band-aids at the end of the year was the worst of it. My current school (in a different district than my first) is still 70% low income, but the district as a whole is pretty wealthy so the redistribution helps a lot. Altogether though, I definitely spend a $200-300 a year of stuff for work.
good to know about donor's choose. my district doesn't give me specific guidelines on budget. I've yet to blow it, but then i haven't gone on a spending spree. I usually just buy what i need and occasionally replace something that needs replacing. I do find myself buying small incidentals - peppermints and ginger ale, but these don't usually add up to much. I think the priorities of a district are very telling when they give their health office a zero budget. Particularly if there is ANY sort of a budget for things like sports clubs or things of that nature. I am not saying that those things aren't important, but to pave priority over the day-to-day health and welfare of the students is beyond short-sighted.
Thanks for the ideas - I know some of our teachers have used DonorsChoose but I've never tried. I'll check it out.
I've been pretty good at scrounging, and the district does supply emergency stuff (an epi-pen, albuterol, oxygen and tubing/masks, a "stop the bleed" kit and Narcan). There's a local agency that donates pads/tampons, lots of teachers or their family members donate clothes, plus I can sometimes "borrow" supplies from other nurses in our district (much bigger schools). Our admin assistant somehow liberated funds from her budget to buy my OTC meds - so that stuff didn't come out of my pocket.
I also have been using y'all's idea of re-purposing unused food from the cafeteria - GREAT idea - we have a "share basket" where students can leave unopened food to donate. I do have a small Costco PO that I can use for snacks, though I'd rather have that money for other stuff.
It'd be helpful to have a budget though! Our district OVERALL is actually very progressive in terms of school health - we have a doctor, standing orders, an awesome lead nurse, very clear and evidence-based policies, reasonable expectations and computer system for charting. The problem is that I work in a tiny specialty school, only 130 students compared to the regular home campuses of 2000+ students. For nursing & everything else, we kind of get lost in the shuffle.
It's my first year here, so I guess one step at a time ? Thanks for all the ideas.
God bless you. I work at a private with no budget. I pulled tooth and nail to get my SNAP program at $300 annual. I bring my own defibrillator and buy all my meds and supplies. It does irritate me when a student comes in 3 times a day for a week old injury for band aids.
God bless you. I work at a private with no budget. I pulled tooth and nail to get my SNAP program at $300 annual. I bring my own defibrillator and buy all my meds and supplies. It does irritate me when a student comes in 3 times a day for a week old injury for band aids.
haha I get it....my attitude about that stuff is NOT improved by knowing that I bought the bandaids myself!!
I must be a real meanie. I may buy some occasional mints, crackers or even extra juice (for diabetics - just in case). However, no way am I buying stock OTC meds out of my pocket.
If district wants to provide , well then - they need to provide! If there is no budget at your campus level, then something needs to trickle from up above.
ruby_jane, BSN, RN
3,142 Posts
Actually, we can. I am about to ask for spare pants for preK-2. I have already bought stuff from Goodwill AND asked our PTSA (who gave me some pants). I wish you luck, and @OldDude is right... you're one of the best of us.