The School Committee approved a wage increase to align special-education nurses’ pay with the city salary schedule, a change administrators said is intended to reduce vacancies and the need to hire contractors.
The motion, made by Miss Doherty and seconded by Mister Conway, passed by roll call with all committee members recorded as voting yes. Administration described the gap between current school-district nurse pay and the city’s registered-nurse schedule and said the range varies by education and experience.
Doctor Hall said aligning the pay scale could increase compensation by “anywhere from $15,000 to $30,000 or more” depending on degree and experience, and that the alignment is intended to equalize school nurses with city positions to attract candidates. Assistant or staff Ms. LeGrand clarified that both school and city nurses work the same school-year schedule of 182 days; the salary-range variability reflects educational credentials (associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s) and years of experience.
The administration said the change would cover current positions and that some existing openings would be filled more readily if pay parity is achieved. The committee approved the motion and the administration will implement the pay adjustments for affected nurses.