By Cary Shuman
Acting director of human services John Russolillo met with the City Council Monday night to provide an update on the hiring of school nurses as funded in the 2024 budget.
Council President Stephanie Martins, Councilor-at-Large Stephanie Smith, and Ward 5 Robert Van Campen called for the meeting to discuss the fact that 22 full-time positions were funded in the budget, yet the actual number working in the schools was far short of that staffing level.
Calling the staffing of nurses “a critical issue,” Russolillo, who has been serving on an interim basis for six weeks, said that since the beginning of January the City “has hired four new nurses, two of which started today, one of which has a start date of March 10, and another that has a start date of April,” making it a contingent of 14 nurses working in the school district.
Russolillo said he has stepped up recruitment efforts, building upon the City’s relationship with Salem State University (five of the current nurses are SSU graduates), and launching a connection to Mass Hire Metro North, an organization that Russolillo has worked with in his previous role at the summer and year-round jobs training program. He is also continuing his close collaboration with the Everett Health Department on the issue of hiring new nurses.
“These are crucial positions, obviously we know that, and we want to make sure that we’re funding all the positions that are necessary,” said Russolillo.
Smith confirmed with Russolillo that there were 14 nurses working in the district.
“And we’re funded for 22?” questioned Smith, with Russolillo answering in the affirmative.
Smith raised what emerged as a key point in the discussion: school field trips “having to be canceled” due to the shortage of available nurses to accompany the groups on the trips.
“I’m glad that we are continuing to hire. I want to keep hiring [nurses], especially in the elementary schools,” said Smith. “We have low-income vulnerable youth. Nurses are like a second home to them. So, I just want to make sure that we’re keeping up, that there is that presence for them, that comforting person.”
Van Campen asked whether an analysis has been done whether Everett is competitive in the market of recruiting nurses to work in the school district.
Russolillo said an analysis has been done, “and the average school nurse salary for Massachusetts is right around where we start our Step 2 [nurses].”
Russolillo further explained that there are six different steps in the hiring and salary process, “based on your experience and qualifications” and in Steps 3-6, Everett’s salary is above the average salary for registered nurses in Massachusetts.
Councilor-at-Large Katy Rogers said she was “alarmed to learn about the lack of field trips and how this [nurse staffing levels] has halted those.”
“I think field trips are a really important way to learn, and my fear here is that this is a process, and it seems like there’s been a lot of progress in hiring new nurses. What happens in the interim? Do we have to wait a year before kids start going on field trips?” asked Rogers in seeking to expedite the hiring process.
Russolillo replied that the school district “might be at that threshold come March 10, when we have three new nurses,” also revealing that “there are seven per diem nurses that we utilize.”
“I know that you do not need have all 22 positions filled in order to go on some school field trips,” added Russolillo.
Rogers inquired why the funding for school nurses comes from the City Council versus the School Department.
“My understanding of that is that we have two registered nurses in management positions in the Health Department and that was a decision that was made since the [school nurses] would be reporting to the two registered nurses that are in management positions,” responded Russolillo.
Rogers reasoned that the issue of hiring nurses “could possibly get more attention” from our members of the School Committee versus the City Council “even though we certainly want to support it.”
Ward 6 Councilor Peter Pietrantonio questioned why the staffing issue wasn’t addressed at the beginning of the current school year.
“We’ve known we would be short nurses since Day 1,” said Pietrantonio. “My point is, why do we always come to a crisis? When are we going to give attention to the kids?”
In response to Pietrantonio’s ensuing question about staffing levels, Russolillo said that “by April 7, we will have eight open positions.”
Pietrantonio concluded his remarks by stating “the issue doesn’t seem like a priority that we’re sitting here now in February still looking for nurses.”
Councilor Alcy Jabouin
requests pay rates
Councilor Guerline Alcy Jabouin sagaciously brought forth a key question that hadn’t been addressed far into the discussion.
“If I may, what’s the pay rate that we’re starting the nurses with?” asked Alcy Jabouin.
Responded Russolillo about the six-step pay rate and the hourly rate, “[Step 1] starts at $38.85 per hour and goes to $45.04, based on Steps 1-6.”
Alcy Jabouin asked directly whether the starting salaries were “not so good, [and that’s why] people are not applying for these jobs.”
Russolillo said based on his experience as acting director, “No, because not one of the people have been hired have balked at that [starting pay rate], and we have hired successfully in the last month of a half.”
Russolillo said he would consider elevating the pay rate “if we realize that this is not enough to continue this rate of hiring.”
“I think we need to have that conversation,” said Alcy Jabouin, adding that the salaries likely have to be adjusted to attract more candidates.
Councilor Garcia
suggests job fairs
Ward 4 Councilor Holly Garcia said she would like to see the city’s connection to Salem State and other colleges be expanded.
“I suggest you consider reaching out to the schools and see if they hold job fairs,” said Garcia. “Maybe we get a table at the job fairs [at Salem State] or even just holding a job fair here [in Everett].”
City Solicitor Mejia
speaks at meeting
Alertly noting that City Solicitor Colleen Mejia was sitting in the audience and had motioned to make comments about the issue, Smith called upon the city’s esteemed attorney to appear before the Council.
“I just wanted to let you know that the City also has a contract with Cataldo [Ambulance], and so we use Cataldo and they have registered nurses and we use them to help supplement. So, the schools are filled and everybody’s staffed, with the help of Cataldo.”
Mejia also noted that there is “a completely different structure for qualifications when you have nurses hired to the School Department.”
“They have to have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree, and it’s just like being a teacher – they have to get their master’s degree, they have to pass the MTEL licensure exam in order to even be a school nurse under the School Department. The structure in the Health Department is completely different.”
Mejia then responded to Pietrantonio’s question about the cancelation of school field trips.
“My understanding is that most of them were filled, and the nurses were able to go on the field trips because of Cataldo,” said Mejia.
Smith offered a different perspective, holding to her previous statement that there has only been one field trip this year, adding that she had heard from parents “who were upset” that two schools had their field trips canceled.