State education budget hearing focuses on special education staffing, assessments and career-ready grants

The State Department of Education laid out a package of personnel and program requests Wednesday during a Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee budget hearing in Boise, emphasizing rising special-education caseloads, a one-time request to transition the statewide student assessment, and continued rollout of career-ready student grants.

Deputy Division Manager Jared Tetro (Legislative Services Office) and State Superintendent Debbie Critchfield described the department's request, which includes three ongoing full-time positions for dispute resolution (special education), a charter-school special education specialist, and a second Indian education coordinator; a $2.7 million one-time request to transition to a new statewide assessment platform; and an ongoing proposal to increase drivers-education reimbursement from $150 to $300 per student.

The department said workload for special-education dispute resolution has risen significantly, with a 65% increase in mediation requests, a 77% increase in general complaints and a “1,200%” increase in hearings compared with the prior year, prompting the dispute-resolution staffing request. The assessment transition request was framed as needed because the contract with the state’s current vendor (Smarter Balanced Consortium) is expiring; the department…