Concord, NH- Legislation to address the severe school nurse-staffing crisis in New Hampshire was signed into law by the Governor on July 29th. Council 93 legislative staff and Local 298, which represent school nurses in the City of Manchester, advocated for changes in state law to address the staffing shortages being felt by districts across the Granite State.  

SB215 changes the state’s minimum education requirements for school nurses from a four-year degree to a two-year degree, while still maintaining the rigorous licensing standards all nurses must achieve when it comes to passing the NCLEX national licensing exam. Research shows that the pass rate is statistically identical regardless of what type of degree a nurse has.

Effective immediately, the new law will allow school districts across New Hampshire to start hiring nurses for the upcoming 2023-2024 school year under the new minimum education requirements.

Local 298 member and Manchester School Nurse Trish Anglin, was a fierce advocate for addressing the school nurse-staffing crisis. She who identified the problem and worked with a number of organizations to reach a compromise on minimum education requirements that received broad bi-partisan support in the New Hampshire State Legislature.

Today, public service jobs are still hundreds of thousands of jobs short from pre-pandemic levels. States, cities, and towns are not hiring fast enough to fill the lost jobs, which is putting a strain on the everyday heroes who keep our communities running.

Passage of SB215 is just one example of AFSCME Council 93 proactively working with elected leaders and state agencies to address the chronic under staffing plaguing our communities and helping put qualified professionals to work serving our communities.