We have been in union negotiations for a while... and tonight we start to talk money.
In my district (and pretty much all local districts) nurses are included in the support staff contract (same as secretaries, custodial staff, cooks, ect). I have been prepping myself to properly advocate for myself and my fellow nurses to get a significant bump in pay. I have researched other local contracts and several have given their nurses big bumps in the last couple years.
Currently, my district pays a first year school nurse 78% of what a first year teacher gets paid. (regardless of any previous nursing experience that is NOT school nursing)
Some points I want to bring up are that nurses are the only members of the support staff contract that have a required degree and required continuing education as well as a skill set that cannot be delegated. Our job is professional, not vocational. Our population has increased and there are more kids than ever with chronic conditions that require frequent, if not daily monitoring (diabetes is the best example). Not to mention the increase in numbers of kids with severe allergies, ADD/ADHD, taking daily medication, and other conditions that we need to prepare for in case of emergency (epilepsy, tourette's, a variety of cardiac conditions).
Any input on what else I can say or impress on the board? Any help is appreciated!!
Thanks guys! I've reviewed A LOT of contracts over the course of our negotiations. Very few of them have nursing specific language. In IL if you are a certified school nurse (it's not required) then you are on the teacher contract/pay scale. I've looked into it- It's at least a $10,000 program.
The problem with the support staff contract is that there are SOOO many job categories that when we start negotiating, many topics only apply to one group so the meetings can be kinda boring.
AND I'm pretty miffed that we never got around to talking about money yesterday. I skipped my daughter's fifth grade concert to go specifically because we were told that would be on the table. So aggravated.
Certified in your state or by NASN? $10,000 is a freakin' lot of money
Certified in your state or by NASN? $10,000 is a freakin' lot of money
By the state. And I currently have an associate's degree and you need to have a bachelor's to enroll. So it would be a long process (though I'm working towards my bachelor's now).
I just looked it up again, It's less than I thought- $5000 ($500/credit plus any fees/books/ect) So probably less than $10,000, but not super cheap.
EDIT- I looked it up. It's an online program, but does not follow their online tuition schedule (that's the $500/credit hour). Instead it is $870/credit hour plus all other fees. (I knew I had that $10,000 number in my head from somewhere)
Wish I knew how to look up nurse salaries at neighboring schools!
I do know our custodians start at a higher pay rate than nurses do.
I don't know if it's the same in other states, but in IL all schools have to post their negotiated contracts on their websites. Some districts really bury them making them very difficult to find, but they have to be there, by law. What state are you in?
Wish I knew how to look up nurse salaries at neighboring schools!
I do know our custodians start at a higher pay rate than nurses do.
I get a call every few years from local school nurses asking me what I make. You could try that. Also I see you're in NY if you know the names of some local school nurses look them up in the NY database with salaries for all school employees. It's not 100% accurate because of stipend work, etc. but it is helpful.
By the state. And I currently have an associate's degree and you need to have a bachelor's to enroll. So it would be a long process (though I'm working towards my bachelor's now).
In my school this would be your biggest stumbling block towards getting paid more. All of the staff here that are considered professionals (teachers, counselors, speech therapists, administrators) have at least a Master's Degree. I know my negotiations have been favorable of late because I have a Bachelor's and I am working toward my Masters (only 2 semesters left! YIPPEE!). They are educators so education is of high value to them. Good luck with it all!
In my school this would be your biggest stumbling block towards getting paid more. All of the staff here that are considered professionals (teachers, counselors, speech therapists, administrators) have at least a Master's Degree. I know my negotiations have been favorable of late because I have a Bachelor's and I am working toward my Masters (only 2 semesters left! YIPPEE!). They are educators so education is of high value to them. Good luck with it all!
As of now, the requirement to work as an RN in our district is an associate's. I am the only one who does not have a bachelor's degree (out of 7 nurses). I could have a master's degree but without the state certification, nurses stay on the support staff contract.
NutmeggeRN, BSN
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Certified in your state or by NASN? $10,000 is a freakin' lot of money