Oregon School for the Deaf highlights preschool pilot, alumni success and proposed capital work on dorms

Charlotte Jones, director of the Oregon School for the Deaf, told the Joint Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on Education on March 13 that the school piloted a preschool this year open to deaf and hard-of-hearing children as well as hearing children who would benefit from American Sign Language exposure.

Jones said the preschool mixed Deaf children, children of Deaf adults (CODAs) and hearing peers so hearing children could serve as "natural language models" for students who do not have signing at home. The school also piloted career and technical education offerings, partnered with vocational rehabilitation for student transitions and runs an annual fundraising event the school calls the "Nightmare Factory."

"We're meticulous about evaluating our teachers because we know students succeed best with supported, coached, and prepared teachers," Jones said. She described athletics, CTE offerings such as welding and construction, and partnerships with Western Oregon University students who practice ASL on campus.

Jones told the committee that OSD serves students statewide, with students from 19 counties in the most recent school year. Amber Forster, chief financial officer for ODE who joined the presentation, summarized the school’s budget footprint: roughly $24 million in the prior biennium and about $25.3 million at current service level for 2025–27. Forster said the school is primarily funded with general funds, supported in part by the state school fund and other fees and donations, and that approximately 68% of the current service-level budget is targeted to classroom, residential, medical and nutrition services.

On capital needs, Jones said the governor’s budget recommended funding and debt service to replace the existing dormitories and convert them into residence halls appropriate for students. Forster noted the governor’s recommendation included about $91.9 million (debt service and project dollars) to address replacement of dorm facilities; Jones said the project details would be discussed in the capital projects presentation.

Jones described alumni outcomes with examples of former students who are small-business owners, journeyman tradespeople and university faculty; she said many alumni return to volunteer and support current students. The school also emphasized the cultural role it plays for Oregon’s Deaf community and said roughly 10% of the state’s school-age deaf population attends OSD.

The presentation included a request for legislators to visit the campus; Jones invited committee members to schedule tours. Committee members expressed support and interest: Representative Wright recounted playing the OSD football team decades ago, and Co Chair Ruiz and others praised the school’s interpretation systems and recommended lawmakers consider ASL learning as an accessibility and community asset.

The hearing was informational; no votes or formal committee decisions were taken.