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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 recruiting and retention challenges for specialized staff. The agency’s superintendent (referred to in the hearing as Mr. Darcy) said IESDB had several open positions — two teaching positions, a speech‑language pathologist and two interpreting positions — and that recruiting is difficult because candidates require specialized credentials. “We live in a market economy, so to be able to get those folks, we have to be able to pay them,” Darcy said, adding that availability of trained specialists nationwide is limited.
The agency requested two new positions to reduce staff caseload: an early‑child outreach administrator and a region‑4 consulting teacher. IESDB also requested one‑time funding to replace vehicles used by outreach staff who travel widely to serve students in home districts. Tetrault described those requests as intended to relieve growing caseloads at outreach.
Housing and waiting list: IESDB leaders said the campus has a waiting list because some children who would benefit from campus placement lack available student housing; the agency reported that a planned project to build small cottages should alleviate that bottleneck. The agency said cottage construction plans would be pursued with state partners and that the cottages would provide between roughly 10 and 20 beds, depending on final design.
Why beginning at birth matters: the superintendent told the committee IESDB serves children beginning at birth because early intervention on sensory impairments produces better long‑term educational outcomes. “If we get to the child earlier … the better off they are later on,” he said, describing outreach visits after a failed newborn hearing screening and the agency’s role in supporting families and local schools.
Budget and pay adjustments: Tetrault said the FY2025 and FY2026 requests included career‑ladder equivalent adjustments and additional compensation lines to help recruit and retain instructional staff who do not participate in the state teacher career ladder. The agency’s audited fund balance was shown at just under $900,000 (about 5% of operations), consistent with other state agencies.
No formal committee votes were recorded. Committee members thanked IESDB leaders for the presentation and asked staff to provide additional information on salary comparisons and program needs; IESDB said it would follow up with requested data.
