ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) —

Local charter school leaders are worried over a budget cut that could leave their campuses without school nurses for the 2024-2025 school year.

“We definitely are in a state of panic right now about it,” said Buffy Fowler, operations coordinator at Francine Delany New School for Children in West Asheville, one of four schools affected.

According to Buncombe County officials, the situation relates to the Buncombe County Health Department’s recent request for proposals for county-funded school nurse programs for the upcoming school year.

MAHEC, which has provided services in the past, submitted the successful bid, but at an amount ($3.5 million) that would have been 11 percent higher than the prior year.

“After seeing our revenue forecast, we asked departments to reduce expenses. They negotiated the MAHEC contract down to a 6 percent increase” to $3,350,000, Lillian M. Govus, the county’s communications and public engagement director, said in response to questions from 828newsNOW.

According to Govus, “This reduction eliminates funding that would have been used to fund RN positions for charter schools.” School nurses will remain in non-charter schools in Asheville City Schools and Buncombe County Schools.

A county nurse supervisor contacted representatives of the four affected charter schools: Francine Delany New School for Children, Evergreen Community Charter School, Asheville PEAK Academy and ArtSpace Charter School.

That prompted Fowler to make an emotional appeal at this week’s Buncombe County Commission meeting, where she said school nurses provide “critical support.”

“I’m really worried about our school not having a school nurse next year,” she told commissioners. “We have students that rely on her that are Type 1 diabetics that need daily support from our school nurse.”

She said one student’s health issue first was identified because they had the school nurse.

Fowler said she worries that teachers or other staff members who currently do not have specialized training will have to take on responsibilities like medication management, diabetes management, seizure disorder management and other issues.

“Now we’re adding another huge responsibility to these teachers,” Fowler told commissioners. “I just ask … if there’s anything you can do.”

Fowler told 828newsNOW that learning about the elimination of funding so close to the start of the next school year creates a major issue for all the affected charter schools, since they estimate it will cost $50,000 to $60,000 for each school to replace the service.

A new fundraising drive might not be feasible, she said, since a recent capital campaign for unrelated needs at the school raised less than $40,000.

“If we had known earlier in the year we would have had time to explore grant funding,” she said.

Instead, they are planning to give staff members extra training while a school nurse still is on board, and they’re amplifying appeals for County Commission members to reconsider ways of funding the positions before they finalize a budget for fiscal year 2025 in coming weeks.

“I’d like for them to know this cut is crucial for our schools,” Fowler said.

Since only charter schools are affected, Fowler added, “I do feel like they are judging which kids are more worthy of services.”

Although the law doesn’t require charter schools to have on-site school nurses, “There are a lot of things we do in the community because it’s the right thing to do, not because it’s required.”