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Deaf and blind services expand in Idaho as campus and outreach enrollments rise; agency warns of staffing and housing constraints
Summary
The Idaho Educational Services for the Deaf and the Blind told lawmakers on March 4 that campus enrollment and an expanding outreach caseload have increased pressure on staffing and campus housing. Agency leaders requested positions and said planned cottages should reduce a wait list for residential placements.
Agency leaders told the Joint Finance‑Appropriations Committee on March 4 that Idaho Educational Services for the Deaf and the Blind (IESDB) has seen steady growth in both its Gooding campus and its statewide outreach program and that growth has produced staffing, caseload and housing pressures.
Jared Tetrault of the Legislative Services Office summarized the budget picture and enrollment growth: IESDB’s campus serves about 122 residents (ages 3–21) and the outreach program serves nearly 2,600 students (birth to 21), up markedly from 2010 levels. Tetrault said outreach has grown from roughly 1,100 students in 2010 to about 2,600 today and campus enrollment has increased from about 77 to roughly 122 over the same period.
IESDB leadership told the committee the agency faces…
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