School nurses were lobbying hard at the State Capitol Tuesday, hoping to dissuade lawmakers from eliminating their budget.
Governor Sonny Perdue proposes a $30 million cut for school nurses from next school year’s budget. But a spokesperson from his office says schools will have the flexibility to keep the program using local and other state funding.
Joanne Giel is a school nurse and the president of the Georgia Association of School Nurses. She says because it will be up to local school districts to fund the program, the future of school nurses in Georgia is in jeopardy.
“It may mean a significant loss to their school nurse program if not the elimination.”
It's unclear how many districts would be to keep the program alive.
The cuts come as lawmakers look for ways to fill a $2.2 billion hole in the state’s budget.
-By Carl Zornes
Photo courtesy of Dave Bender
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