Everybody
is disgusted, outraged, disillusioned, and disappointed. Yet, funding for city
school nurses still hasn’t been restored.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Last week there were: two press
conferences, an ugly Ways and Means committee meeting, a lawsuit, and a
phone-a-thon — all about the nurses. Leaving city kids without school health
care would be a travesty, everyone said. Principals and teachers aren’t
qualified to dispense medication, handle asthma attacks, or provide other
medical services. The children, they said, are in immediate danger.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย But here we are. No money. No
nurses. And an April 1 deadline getting awfully big in the window.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Funding for the city school district
nursing program ends March 31. The county — which has traditionally
administered the program — curtailed funding to help close a $42 million
budget gap.
It began on
Wednesday,
March 3. Two things happened that day: the school district filed suit against
Monroe County and County Executive Maggie Brooks, and the lej’s Ways and Means
committee tabled a motion to tap the county’s contingency fund to float the
nurses through the end of the school year. (Rochester Mayor Bill Johnson has a
task force working on finding private funding possibly beginning next school
year.)
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย The suit seeks an injunction,
essentially forcing the county to pay for the nurses. The case was due to be
heard in state Supreme Court Tuesday.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย “We are absolutely at the 11th hour
on this issue and need to take immediate action on behalf of our students,”
says schools Superintendent Dr. Manuel Rivera. “We cannot sit back and wait
when the health needs of our children are at risk.”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย The school district contends that
the county is legally obligated to fund the nursing program. The district wants
the layoff notices issued February 20 to 77 nurses and nurses’ aides rescinded
and a permanent order preventing the county from reducing staffing levels.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Republicans in the county
legislature have consistently contended that they are not legally bound to fund
the nurses.
County lej
Democrats came
up with the idea of using the contingency fund. After all, they said, the fund
had been used in the past to pay for a portrait of former County Executive Jack
Doyle. Why not use it for the nurses?
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Republicans argue that the $1.5
million in the fund needs to stay there in case the county comes up short when
it balances the books from 2003.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย The motion had to make it through
the Ways and Means committee before coming up for a vote before the full
legislature. The meeting, as one observer aptly described, quickly dissolved
into a “pissing contest.”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Before the meeting, Democratic
legislator Chris Wilmot predicted Republicans would torpedo the idea “simply
because Democrats proposed it.” That kind of politics, he said, “is destroying
this county.”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Wilmot could not explain why
Democrats were asking for $500,000 from the contingency fund, when the nurses’
union says it will take at least $600,000 to keep the program going.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Republican Majority Leader Bill
Smith pressed to have the motion tabled because, he said, a bipartisan solution
is in the works and a vote would be premature. Only later did it become clear
that Smith’s idea of a bipartisan solution is getting enough Democrats to go
along with the GOP plan. Democrats have blocked a Republican plan to issue
bonds to make state-mandated payments for retirement and pension costs. Using
savings from the bonding is smarter, Smith says, then paying out cash to fund
the program.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย “It is irresponsible for us to do
something in the most expensive way possible,” he says.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Democrats say bonding is pushing
expenses into the future. The GOP has artificially linked the bonding to the
nursing program, they say, to make Democrats look bad, when one really has
nothing to do with the other.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Smith got what he wanted. On advice
from the county attorney, Republicans voted to table the motion. The attorney
said discussing the motion would be inappropriate because of the just-filed
lawsuit. Democrats freaked.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย “I think this ruling is just
preposterous,” said Democrat Kevin Murray.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Lawsuits against the county jail,
for example, don’t prevent the lej from hiring jail employees, adjusting pay,
or whatever, Murray said.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Democrats, Murray vowed, will drag
meetings out if they’re forced to debate procedure time after time. Committee
Chairman Jack Driscoll accused Murray of posturing and of issuing “soft threats
of mayhem.”
That was
Wednesday. The
following day, city school union leaders gathered at School 29 to voice their
support for the nurses and the lawsuit. They chose School 29 because it has the
largest number of kids with needs and conditions that would be impacted by the
loss of the nurses. Of the school’s 570 students, 125 have conditions that
require a nurse on site, says Adam Urbanski, president of the Rochester Teachers
Association.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Urbanski expressed disappointment in
legislators, accusing them of playing “political football” with the nursing
program and adding that removing nurses from schools is “the last thing”
legislators would allow for their own children.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย “It’s probably as good an example of
depersonalizing an issue as I’ve ever seen,” he said.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Legislators, Urbanski says, are “all
good people who are doing a very bad thing.”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย The lack of outrage from city school
parents is astonishing, Urbanski adds. The problem, he says, is that many
parents are unaware of the situation or naively believe “somehow this will be
taken care of.”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย The teachers union, Urbanski says,
will explore filing an Amicus brief in support of the district’s lawsuit. The
brief would not make the union a party to the litigation. It’s filed by a party
that feels it will be impacted by the court’s decision.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Later Thursday, a phone-a-thon took
place at the James Madison School of Excellence. Volunteers urged people to
turn out at two save-the-nurses rallies — one was Saturday, March 6, and the
other was Tuesday right before the lej meeting.
Saturday’s
rally at New Bethel C.M.E. Church was organized by the church’s women’s
group, Women United for Justice. Members made signs in support of the nurses. A
press conference followed by the Rev. Raymond Graves.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย “They’re taking nurses out of city
schools and it’s wrong,” says city resident Selina Williams. “All children need
health care. Who are they going to go to? The principal? Ridiculous.”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย “It tells us how they [county
legislators] really feel about our children.”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Boy Scouts and representatives of
the business and faith communities attended the rally. The women’s group formed
last year and has recently taken on the nurses’ issue.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย “This is our first major
initiative,” says the Rev. Shirley Billups-Bell, the group’s founder. “I’m a
district employee, so I have firsthand information of what goes on in the
schools.”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Bell is manager for parent-community
involvement at Josh Lofton and James Madison.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย In terms of the nurses, Graves says,
the county has failed miserably. County officials, he says, are able to find
money for everything else — a fast ferry, a soccer stadium — but they are
leaving city school kids high and dry.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย “Children’s health precedes
instruction,” he says. “If you’re sick, how are you going to learn?”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย The community should hold the
county, the city, and the city school district responsible if the nurses aren’t
restored, Graves says.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย “We aren’t going away,” he says.
“We’re going to help find that money.”
This article appears in Mar 10-16, 2004.
