Idaho Department of Education requests new special‑education staff, assessment funds and increased drivers‑ed reimbursement

The Idaho State Department of Education detailed a range of budget requests and supplemental items at a Joint Finance Preparation Committee hearing on March 12, 2025, asking lawmakers for new staff positions, one‑time assessment funding and ongoing program authority for several federally linked programs.

Deputy LSO analyst Jared Tetro summarized the agency’s budget and fund balances and identified 7 ongoing enhancements the department is seeking for FY2026, plus multiple one‑time requests and two current‑year supplemental requests. He said the department is organized into two program areas with 126.5 authorized full‑time equivalents and reported 9.5 vacancies at the time of the budget submission.

The department requested three personnel positions as ongoing enhancements for 2026: a dispute‑resolution specialist (1.0 FTE, $84,400) to help handle growing special‑education casework; a charter‑school special‑education specialist to assist charter schools with IDEA and Section 504 obligations; and a second Indian‑education coordinator (1.0 FTE, roughly $114,000) to help with tribal relations and travel. “Do we have an increase? Yes, we do,” State Superintendent Debbie Critchfield said when asked about rising special‑education complaints and hearings.

Why it matters: lawmakers pressed for details because some requests are driven by federal mandates and large, previously appropriated federal and ARPA grants remain obligated but not yet paid out to districts. Committee members repeatedly asked for itemized accounting of ARPA/ESSER and Career‑Ready Student grants, and for lists of private schools that received COVID relief funds the department administered.

Major requests and context

- Dispute‑resolution…