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 specialist: The department reported a steep rise in parents asking for evaluations and in formal dispute processes. Critchfield said the department has seen a 65% increase in mediation requests, a 77% increase in complaints and a “1,200% increase in hearings,” and currently has a single statewide dispute‑resolution coordinator. The requested position would focus on ensuring federal procedures are followed and resolving impasses between parents and districts.

- Charter school special‑education support: The department sought an additional specialist to support charter schools’ compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Tetro said every new charter must be verified for special‑education capacity and routine monitoring duties are growing.

- Indian education coordinator: The department requested a second coordinator to assist with tribal relations, travel and improvement of tribal student outcomes. Critchfield said Idaho has five federally recognized tribes and that services and treaty‑related obligations require sustained engagement.

- Career‑Ready Students program: The department described large appropriations and high demand. Critchfield told the committee that “65,000,000 has been appropriated over the last 2 years” and the program received $138,000,000 in requests across 152 applications; 72 grants representing about $62,700,000 have been obligated and the department reported roughly $16,000,000 reimbursed to date. The program funds local career technical projects such as meat processing programs, AgDrone training and forestry projects.

- Drivers‑education reimbursement: The department is seeking legislation to raise reimbursement for district/charter drivers‑education programs from $150 to $300 per student. Tetro and department staff told lawmakers the drivers‑training fund balance has built up (from $3.8 million in 2022 to an estimated $7.4 million in 2026) and that the appropriation would increase spending authority to draw down the fund balance. The department said actual program costs in 2023 were about $3.5 million while only $1.2 million had been drawn from the fund.

- School bus camera fund: A current‑year supplemental was presented for the school bus camera fund tied to House Bill 610, which modified fees related to vehicles passing stopped school buses. Tetro said the fund currently holds about $35,000; the department requested limited 1‑time spending authority and an ongoing enhancement. He explained that if appropriations exceed cash on hand, the unused portion would simply not be drawn.

- Assessment development and transition (ISAT): The department requested $2,700,000 one‑time federal spending authority to pilot a new statewide student assessment platform and to develop assessment items as the current contract with a Smarter‑Balanced vendor is expiring. Gideon Tolman, the department CFO, told the committee “the 2,700,000.0 would be a 1 time federal fund spending authority to, to help transition to a new platform.” He said base recurring funding likely would cover ongoing administration but the department agreed to provide follow‑up detail on precisely what the one‑time funding will purchase.

- Idaho Reading Indicator and Performance Report Card: The department requested one‑time funds (net ~$800,000 after canceling an IRI pilot) to support updates to the state performance report card required by federal Title I‑A rules. Tetro characterized the report card update as an “unfunded mandate” if federal funds do not materialize.

- Child Nutrition Technology Grant and Farm‑to‑School ARPA grant: The department described a 4‑year Child Nutrition Technology Grant totaling $746,300 (largely for MyIdahoCNP software costs) and a Farm‑to‑School ARPA grant of $264,100 for classroom vertical growing systems.

Questions from legislators and follow‑up items

Committee members repeatedly asked for detailed reporting and accounting. Senator Seiderfeld asked for a list of private schools and amounts that received ARPA COVID support; Tetro said he would work with the department to provide that. Representative Furness asked for detail on the charter school authorizer fund and whether it is taxpayer dollars; Tetro clarified funds derive from authorizer fees deposited into the public charter school authorizer fund (citing “30 three‑fifty two‑fourteen”). Several committee members requested breakdowns of ESSER and other federal funds to ensure one‑time federal dollars were not creating an ongoing obligation for districts.

The department acknowledged earlier transfers: broadband and IT positions previously were transferred from the department to the State Board of Education beginning in 2021 with further transfers in 2025.

Ending

Department leaders told the committee they would provide requested follow‑up documentation, including lists of private school COVID recipients, detailed accounting of ESSER and CTE grant obligations and clarifications about which items require legislation. Critchfield closed by stressing the department’s statutory duties and saying the requests aim to serve students, parents, teachers and taxpayers across Idaho.