BILL ANALYSIS
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THIRD READING
Bill No: ACR 99
Author: Swanson (D)
Amended: 7/1/08 in Senate
Vote: 21
SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE : 8-0, 6/25/08
AYES: Scott, Wyland, Alquist, Denham, Maldonado, Padilla,
Romero, Simitian
NO VOTE RECORDED: Torlakson
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 45-30, 4/14/08 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : School nurses: salaries
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This resolution urges school districts to
increase school nurse salaries to a level comparable to
salaries received by nurses employed by hospitals and
clinics.
ANALYSIS : Current law requires a school nurse to be a
Registered Nurse (RN) and complete additional educational
requirements for and possesses a School Nurse Services
Credential issued by the Commission on Teacher
Credentialing (CTC).
This resolution:
1.Resolves that the Legislature urge school districts to
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take the steps necessary to increase school nurse
salaries to a level comparable to salaries of nurses
employed by hospitals and clinics.
2.Makes a number of findings regarding the role that school
nurses play including:
A. The vital role they serve in providing valuable
health care services to children with a variety of
ailments, to support these students' academic
success.
B. The collaborative role school nurses provide
between schools and health and human services
agencies and the link they provide between public and
private resources and programs.
3.Makes findings as to the severe shortage of California
school nurses.
4.Makes findings regarding the need to increase school
nurse salaries in order to recruit and retain school
nurses.
Comments
According to the author's office, the rise of chronic and
acute illness in students and in the number of special
needs students results in a rise in the need for school
nurses to supervise the provision of, or provide their
care. The general nursing shortage, coupled with a work
environment for school nurses that leaves them overworked,
underpaid, and with no job security, as compared to nurses
in acute care settings, makes it difficult to recruit
school nurses. According to the author's office, this
resolution seeks to encourage and empower school districts
to look into alternatives to putting the school nurse on
the same salary schedule as the other certified staff in a
school district, in order to aid them in obtaining the
services of a school nurse.
The CTC issues two school nurse credentials: (1) the
Preliminary School Nurse Services credential, which
requires a valid RN license, a bachelor's degree or higher,
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and a clear criminal history background check, and (2) a
Clear School Nurse Services credential, which requires two
years of successful experience as a school nurse and
completion of a CTC-approved school nurse program. The CTC
issues approximately 250 preliminary and clear school nurse
credentials each year. CTC records indicate there were
2,835 credentialed school nurses in 200-06.
FISCAL EFFECT : Fiscal Com.: No
SUPPORT : (Verified 7/1/08)
American Federation of State, County and Municipal
Employees, AFL-CIO
California Federation of Teachers
California School Nurses Organization
ASSEMBLY FLOOR :
AYES: Arambula, Bass, Beall, Berg, Brownley, Charles
Calderon, Carter, Coto, Davis, De La Torre, De Leon,
DeSaulnier, Dymally, Eng, Evans, Feuer, Fuentes,
Furutani, Galgiani, Hancock, Hayashi, Hernandez, Huffman,
Jones, Karnette, Krekorian, Laird, Leno, Levine, Lieu,
Ma, Mendoza, Mullin, Nava, Parra, Portantino, Price,
Ruskin, Salas, Saldana, Solorio, Swanson, Torrico, Wolk,
Nunez
NOES: Adams, Aghazarian, Anderson, Benoit, Berryhill,
Blakeslee, Cook, DeVore, Duvall, Emmerson, Gaines,
Garrick, Horton, Houston, Huff, Jeffries, Keene, La
Malfa, Maze, Nakanishi, Niello, Plescia, Sharon Runner,
Silva, Smyth, Spitzer, Strickland, Tran, Villines,
Walters
NO VOTE RECORDED: Caballero, Fuller, Garcia, Lieber, Soto
NC:cm 7/1/08 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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