Bill > SB1715

This bill requires Local Education Agencies (LEAs), which are public school districts, to classify their school nurses as licensed personnel for salary purposes and pay them according to the salary schedule established for licensed teachers. Specifically, a school nurse who is an LEA employee, holds a valid registered nurse license, is Nationally Certified as a School Nurse, and has zero years of experience must receive the same base salary as a licensed teacher with a bachelor's degree and zero years of experience. The bill also mandates that school nurses with more training and experience than this baseline should be paid more, while those with less should be paid less, all based on the LEA's salary schedule. Importantly, this change cannot result in a reduction of salary for any school nurse already employed by the LEA when the new salary schedule is adopted. This legislation, amending Tennessee Code Annotated (TCA) Title 49 (Education) and Title 68 (Public Health), takes effect on July 1, 2026, and applies to the 2026-2027 school year and subsequent years.

Budget and Finance, Education

https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/Billinfo/default.aspx?BillNumber=SB1715&ga=114