School for the deaf and blind reports rising enrollment, staff shortages and plans for new campus cottages

Agency officials for the Idaho Educational Services for the Deaf and the Blind (IESDB) briefed the Joint Finance‑Appropriations Committee on March 4 about sustained growth in both campus and outreach services and related budget requests.

Overview and scale of services Jared Tetrault told lawmakers the IESDB campus in Gooding serves about 122 residents (ages 3–21) while the outreach program serves just under 2,600 students statewide (birth–21). Enrollment has roughly doubled on the campus since 2010 and outreach has grown substantially in the same period.

Budget drivers and requests Tetrault said most IESDB funding comes from the general fund; FY24 audited statements showed a cash balance just under $9 million (about 5% of operations). Recent enhancements and requested items focus on compensation and recruitment. The agency requested career ladder equivalents and additional compensation to recruit and retain staff, and two new positions: an early childhood outreach administrator and a Region 4 consulting teacher to reduce caseloads. The outreach work requires substantial travel; the agency requested one‑time vehicle funding for new positions.

Staffing and recruitment IESDB officials told the committee they are struggling to recruit qualified staff. Superintendent (name not provided in transcript) said several positions remain open — including teaching positions, a speech‑language pathologist and interpreter positions — and that the agency competes nationwide for staff with specialized credentials. The superintendent said pay and availability are both factors: “We live in a market economy… we have to be able to pay them,” he told the committee.

Campus expansion and birth‑to‑21 services The superintendent explained that IESDB serves students from birth through 21 by statute and emphasized the agency’s early‑intervention work: identifying infants who fail newborn hearing screenings, working with families, and providing educational supports so children enter school ready to learn. He said the agency has a waiting list for campus placements because housing is constrained and that the state is moving forward with plans to design and build new cottages. The cottages — expected to be 10–20 beds each — are intended to alleviate the wait list and allow more students to attend the campus when residential services are appropriate.

Other committee requests and next steps Committee members asked IESDB to provide salary comparators to nearby districts and to clarify recruitment strategies. Officials said they will supply comparative pay data for typical credentialed teacher profiles. No formal committee votes were taken during the presentation.

Ending IESDB officials asked the committee for continued support to recruit and retain specialized staff and for funding to complete campus housing projects that would reduce the residential wait list and allow the agency to serve more students in the campus program.