Nurses ask Wakefield to restore float position
Wakefield school nurses urged the School Committee to restore a float nurse position and add a dedicated nurse leader.
School Committee · Meeting of January 13, 2026
Wakefield school nurses urged the School Committee to restore a float nurse position and add a dedicated nurse leader. Nurse Carrie Melanson told the board the float position, funded in the 2025-2026 budget, was quietly removed last June, leaving 30 coverage requests unfilled last year across seven schools serving more than 3,500 students. School Business Administrator Christine Bufagna reported a midyear available balance of $2.7 million, or 4.88 percent of the budget, with two Circuit Breaker payments still due.
The committee unanimously approved payroll warrants 20, 22, 24 and 26 and voted to table draft 2026-2027 school calendars tied to the high school's January 2027 move, with a vote set for January 27. CPAC chair Anne Herzog said, "I ask you to let the lens of inclusion frame every decision that you make."
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Source: the School Committee meeting of January 13, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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