County schools may let district healthcare provider employ its school nurses
By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette / WBRT Radio
Friday, May 3, 2019 — The Nelson County Board of Education is considering a proposal from the Cumberland Family Medical Centers (CFMC) to transition the district’s nine school nurses to become employees instead of CFMC.
The board took no action at its working session Wednesday evening, but listened to the proposal as explained by Robin McCoy, the district’s director of community health and engagement.
McCoy said that if CFMC took over as the district nurse’s employer, the company would very likely be able to add a 10th nurse to eliminate the current
The new arrangement would also reduce the amount of money the district pays for nursing salaries, she said. Under the current contract, Cumberland pays back to the district 30 percent of the nurses salaries. The new proposal would increase that to about 50 percent. CFMC would not charge the district for the 10th nurse that they would add under the proposal.
CFMC would pay for all the supplies the nurses need, McCoy said. And since CFMC receives federal funding, they have a greater ability to handle hardship cases in the event a student needs services not covered by Medicaid or health insurance.
The district’s nursing coordinator would remain a district employee, she said.
McCoy will recommend the board approve a finalized proposal at a future board meeting.
2019-20 DISTRICT BUDGET. Chief Financial Officer Amy Owens reviewed the district’s tentative budget which the board will be asked to approve at its next meeting.
The 2019-20 budget anticipates approximately $32,885,000 in district expenses.
On the revenue side, Owens said she expects about $1 million more in local tax revenue in the next fiscal year. This will be offset by an expected reduction in state SEEK dollars of about $480,000.
The district has had a total of $4.5 million cut from is state SEEK money since 2009, Owens said.
Overall, staff salaries account for 78 percent of the district budget. The district expects to spend $450,000 for its student workforce development efforts, and have transportation expenses of $1.25 million.
She expects the budget will have a $2.5 million reserve, which can cover salaries for a month in the event of some sort of emergency or disasters.
FREE MEALS AT MORE SCHOOLS. The board of education will consider a recommendation from Jessica Gies, the district’s food service director, to add two schools to the list of five Nelson County schools now participating in the CEP program that provides participating schools with free breakfasts and lunches.
The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) is a provision from the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 that allows schools with high poverty rates to provide free breakfast and lunch to all students.
Gies’ recommendation is to add two schools — Foster Heights Elementary and Old Kentucky Home Middle School — to the current list of CEP participating schools.
Currently, students at Bloomfield Elementary, Boston School, New Haven, Horizon Academy, and the Early Learning Center provide students with breakfast and lunch at no cost. To ensure the school’s continue to meet the guidelines, the schools will make some changes to make breakfast more accessible to students.
In other business, the board
— reviewed the planned changes to the employee evaluations with Robin Handloser, the district’s director of human resources. The goal is to tailor the evaluations to the job position and make them less generic in nature and to promote growth and collaboration in the workplace, she said.
— learned that the board will be asked to approve the creation of a new
According to Tiffanie Clark, the district’s special education director, the proposed diagnostician position will be hired to conduct classroom observations the pyschologists currently perform now. The diagnostician will also conduct some testing now conducted by the school pyschologist. The results will be provided to the school psychologists for their review.
Clark said they would look for a certified teacher or a retired teacher to fill the part-time position.
— learned the board will be asked to approve continuing banking services from WesBanco. Amy Owens, the district’s Chief Financial Officer, told the board that she has negotiated substantial changes that provide new benefits the district will have, including earning interest all
The bank is also waiving all fees and providing the district with additional security features at no charge.
— will vote at its next meeting on fuel bids from the Taylorsville-based A&M Oil Co.
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