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Department requests new special-education, charter and Indian education staff as dispute and hearings rise
Summary
Superintendent Debbie Critchfield told the committee that complaints and hearings related to special education have risen sharply and the department seeks three ongoing staff additions to handle dispute resolution, charter oversight and tribal engagement.
The Joint Finance Preparation Committee on the State Department of Education budget hearing heard a request for three ongoing staff positions to address rising workload in special education, charter oversight and tribal education supports.
Debbie Critchfield, State Superintendent, described a sharp uptick in disputes that escalate to state-level involvement and said the department currently has a single dispute-resolution coordinator handling statewide work. "We have an increase in parents that are asking for their students to be tested," Critchfield said, and she reported distinct increases in dispute counts: a 65% rise in requests for mediation, a 77% increase in complaints and a 1,200% increase in hearings over the prior year.
Nut graf: The department requested funding for three ongoing positions for fiscal 2026 to reduce backlog and improve timeliness — a dispute…
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