Reduction of nursing hours at private schools a proposed budget cut for Amherst School District
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter

It's early in the 2008-09 budget process for the Amherst Central School District but one proposed cut has already caused some discussion.

At last Tuesday's Amherst School Board meeting, James R. Dempsey, representing the five private schools in the district - Sacred Heart Academy, St. Benedict's School, Christ The King, Park School, and the Kadimah School of Buffalo - told the board to not reduce the number of hours for district nurses in those schools.

Mark Whyle, the district's assistant superintendent of administrative services, said one of the proposed cuts to next school year's budget is to change the status of district nurses in the private schools from full time to part time.

"Any cuts in health services to the private schools would severely impact the quality of health care we provide for our students," said Dempsey in a prepared statement. "We would like to say that health problems are predictable, but as we all know, that reality does not exist. The nurses serve a very viable function in our buildings, and the loss of such would be a tremendous blow to the overall quality of services and crisis care we offer. We ask you to reconsider any such cuts in nursing services and restore them to 100 percent."

The proposed reductions are based on school enrollment. Whyle said the ratio of students to nursing hours is greater in private schools in the district than in public schools.

Whyle said the proposed reductions would save the district $70,000.

Whyle said he and Athletics Director Nancy Riccio met with the principals of the five private schools and Dempsey on Jan. 18 in the district office to inform them of the proposed cuts.

Board President William T. Blanford said nursing staff reduction is one of several items in the budget process that the board has asked for more information about.