There are so few nurses in North Carolina’s public schools that a new state report says it could cost an additional $45 million to $79 million a year to help meet student health needs.
There’s one school nurse for every 1,086 students, according to a state legislative staff report, meaning the majority of student medical needs have to be met by non-nurses. The report said it could cost $45 million a year to get to a ratio of one nurse for every 750 students and could cost $79 million annually to ensure every North Carolina public school has a nurse.
That money could come from the state or also from county governments, which provide 45 percent of the annual funding for school nurses. The amount needed to have a nurse available to every student could be closer to $65 million a year instead of $79 million based on the number of schools that are on the same campus that could share a person.