Highlands School District is hoping to attract health room nurses by increasing pay, a union representative said Tuesday.
In an agreement with the Highlands Educational Support Professionals Association, the district has increased the pay for health room licensed practical nurses to $15 per hour.
The hourly rate had been as low as $11.11, said Matt Edgell, western region advocacy coordinator for the Pennsylvania State Education Association. The average was $12.51.
The pay was too low to get anyone to do the job, Edgell said.
“This is not an uncommon problem, nor is it an uncommon solution,” he said.
The new rate is contained in a memorandum of understanding between the district and the union. The school board approved it Monday; the union also accepted it, Edgell said.
The district and union “wish to establish a new wage rate for Health Room LPNs to provide a competitive rate to those employees who hold nursing certifications,” the memorandum states.
A district representative could not be reached for comment.
Edgell said the district should be able to attract candidates with the new pay rate.
The union’s current contract with Highlands started July 1, 2017, and runs through June 30, 2022.
Brian Rittmeyer is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Brian at 724-226-4701, brittmeyer@tribweb.com or via Twitter @BCRittmeyer.
