Owatonna school nurses battle insurance costs

The rising cost of health insurance has a wide reach, including nurses with Owatonna Public Schools – with potentially disastrous results.

It is one of a number of issues the nurses have brought to the negotiating table in their first-ever contract with the district, as well as to the members of the school board at their Feb. 23 meeting.

Other sticking points include the district’s approach to salary parameters and cuts to the staff in the wake of a failed operating levy increase.

Holly Radke, a nurse at Owatonna Middle School, brought a visual with her as she addressed the board.

Glass canisters held multiple seeds, each seed representing a visit to the OMS nurses’ office.

During the 2024-25 school year, Radke said, there were 8,526 visits; the middle school population at that time was 1,008.

School nurses, she said, are often the first to spot someone who is “sick, injured, anxious or struggling in ways that might otherwise go unnoticed.” They manage chronic health conditions, including heart issues, asthma, diabetes and serious allergies.

Beyond medical care, “school nurses educate students on health and nutrition, better life habits, support mental health and serve as a trusted, safe adult for students,” Radke said.

“A fair first contract is one way that this district can show it truly values students’ health, safety” and the care nurses provide, she said.

Amanda Miller, a nurse at Washington Elementary School, spoke of the rising cost of a school district-offered health insurance.

“Right now, the cost of district-provided health insurance has risen to $678 per paycheck,” she said. “Not per month, per paycheck. That means hundreds of dollars are taken out before we even see our earnings.”

In addition to typical expenses such as groceries, housing, utilities and gas, Miller said that “most important, (the deduction is) before student loans. We all have degrees because of these student loans, which qualify us for our positions.”

She is one of nine nurses employed by OPS; there is one in each of the four elementary schools, two at OMS and one at OHS. The two other nurses work out of the district office, one as supervisor of school health services.

The result of the health insurance increases “is devastating,” Miller said. “Employees are being forced to make impossible choices. Some are opting out of coverage entirely – not because they don’t need it, but because they simply cannot afford it. Others are taking on debt, just to remain insured. And many talented, experienced staff are leaving our district or the professions that we love altogether.

“A school district cannot thrive when its employees are financially strained, anxious” and feel under-valued, she told board members.

“We understand budget cuts are complex; we understand health care costs are rising everywhere, but understanding that does not erase the reality of this burden for your employees,” Miller said.

“We are not asking for extravagance; we are asking for fairness,” she said. “We are asking for solutions and we are asking for relief. … If we truly value the people who educate, support and care for Owatonna students’ health every single day, then we must ensure that our staff can afford to stay healthy, support their families and remain in the profession that they love.”

Kelsey Borchard, an RN at the high school, addressed the compensation schedule the district uses to calculate pay.

It is aligned with those of teachers, she said, meaning equal percentage increases result in inequitable outcomes.

Borchard said school nurses who earn $30,000-$35,000 annually face financial strain, with some taking home less than $20,000 after insurance deductions.

The disparity has led to retention challenges, as newer nurses find the wages unsustainable; she urged the board to reevaluate the contract parameters and recognize the professional credentials and responsibilities of the nursing staff.

“One of my coworkers said it best,” Radke said. “We don’t have a classroom of 25; we have an office of hundreds or thousands.

“Every child deserves to feel safe at school, and every parent deserves to know that there was a nurse there when it matters the most.”