Wisconsin's School Nurses Say They Need More Financial Support to Provide Services Needed by Students

Wednesday, May 8th, 2024 -- 12:01 PM

(Hope Kirwan, Wisconsin Public Radio) School nurses in Wisconsin say they need more financial support to provide the health services needed by students.

According to Hope Kirwan with Wisconsin Public Radio, leaders of the Wisconsin Association of School Nurses met with state legislators last week to talk about unfinished business from this year’s legislative session, which ended in March.

Lawmakers did not act on a proposal to allow school districts to receive all federal Medicaid funding reimbursed for school-based services, like physical therapy and skilled nursing. It’s a change proposed by Gov. Tony Evers in his 2023-25 state budget.

Under current state law, schools only receive 60 percent of the federal reimbursement for these services, with the rest going to the state. Jamie Trzebiatowski, president of the Wisconsin Association of School Nurses, said the rate is much lower than what county- or community-based programs receive for the same types of care.

Trzebiatowski, who is a nurse for the School District of Waupaca, said the lower reimbursement rate makes it difficult for schools to maintain these services, especially as districts across the state experience budget shortfalls from lower enrollment and rising costs.

“(When) they need to do something different with their budgeting, frequently they’re going to try to cut off some of these ancillary support services,” she said. “So students lose that equity piece, lose that nursing or other types of ancillary support that they need to make sure that they’re getting equitable access to their education.”

She said allowing all of the federal funding for school-based services to return to the districts would create more stable funding for school nursing positions. Since the program started in 2000, school-based services have brought approximately $950 million in federal Medicaid dollars to Wisconsin, according to the state Department of Public Instruction.

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