Who will be providing nursing staff services to schools in Fayette County? That’s the question at the heart of an ongoing discussion on the school board, which recently announced a new provider, Maxim, had outbid the Fayette Health Department and the district would be shifting to the new provider. That’s after nearly four decades of partnership with the local health department.
Since the announcement, however – which is estimated to affect between 54-58 nurses within the school system – skeptics have questioned whether handing provider duties over to the new vendor is a wise decision.
At Monday night’s school board meeting, the issue came to the fore.
The compromise that came out of the meeting was a proposed plan to negotiate a one year-extension with the health department lasting until June 2025. If okayed, during that time, the board would study the issue before making any long-term decision about shifting away from contracting with Fayette County Health Department to another vendor.
Board members will weigh the extension option at their December 14th meeting.
