D300 Aims To Hire More Nurses As COVID Cases Rise

ALGONQUIN, IL — Community Unit School District 300 officials are looking to more effectively manage the growing number of COVID-19 cases being reported within schools by hiring more nurses and employees to assist with clerical work.

Administrators within District 300 are recommending adding temporary nursing and clerical services to assist with COVID-19 case management, testing, and contact tracing. This staff would support the buildings, perform COVID-19 testing, help triage with the local health departments, and provide guidance for identifying close contacts, Jennifer Porter, chief financial officer for District 300, wrote in a memo to administrators.

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District 300 officials say they've been able to handle their caseload so far with existing staff but it has not been sustainable since many are working late into the evening and over the weekend "to address cases as they have arisen," according to the memo.

"We believe that these positions would help us efficiently manage cases and minimize COVID-19 spread

The pay rates for school nurses and a nurse who handles COVID-19 testing and vaccinations is $57 per hour, according to District 300 memos. D300 is looking to use ESSER funds to utilized Assured Healthcare Staffing to hire additional nurses and certified nursing assistants, and Kelly Education to secure additional clerical resources.

"Unfortunately, we have seen an increase in the COVID-19 positivity rate in all the counties that
our district serves. As a result, we are trying to avoid overtaxing our resources and efficiently triage cases as they occur," Porter wrote in the memo.

The District 300 Board of Education is set to meet starting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the D300 Central Office, 2550 Harnish Drive in Algonquin.

So far this school year, 138 students and 15 staff members have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the D300 COVID dashboard, which is updated daily.

More information via the District 300 school board packet.