Pinellas County public schools are struggling to meet their goal of at least one nurse per campus.
As of March 21, the district had 32 of 123 positions open. And with demand for nurses outstripping supply across Florida, some fear the number of vacancies will only grow as other nurses leave for more lucrative positions outside the schools.
Hoping to stem the tide, some of the Pinellas nurses who remain have launched a campaign to pressure the district to boost their salaries in the next round of contract negotiations.
“If you want to hire professionals, you have to pay professional wages,” said Jennifer Reznick, a nurse at Cypress Woods Elementary in Palm Harbor. This month, she added a second school to her assignment.
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