Advocates say budget cuts at Indiana School for the Deaf becoming a crisis

Advocates for deaf and hard of hearing Hoosiers said budget cuts at the Indiana School for the Deaf are becoming a crisis.

The school received a 5 percent cut in the new state budget and recently laid off more than a dozen staff.

The School for the Deaf already had more than three dozen open, unfilled staff positions. And the state is exploring limits to school maintenance that would force teachers and staff to clean hallways, stairwells and classrooms.

Indiana Association of the Deaf President Jeffrey Spinale, through an interpreter, said he's upset but not surprised at the cuts.

"It feels like they're just ignoring our concerns, to be honest," Spinale said. "Oftentimes we're not invited to the table to have any of these conversations related to deaf education."

The school eliminated its third-shift nurse, which means there won't be a health care professional on-site overnight for students who live on campus. Staff will be furloughed five days a year. Though the Indiana Department of Education said furloughs won't affect instructional days. Outside interpreter services are eliminated, potentially affecting events, meetings and field trips.

READ MORE: Advocate: Legislative changes to services for Deaf children reveals lack of community engagement
 

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Staff professional development is also being cut in half, which Katy Aiello, whose son is a student at the school, said is extremely concerning.

"This population of children has unique needs and the teachers really need to be able to attend those professional development days to be able to keep up with current best practices," Aiello said.

Aiello worries about burnout and that the cuts will hurt the school's ability to attract new talent in the future.

Republican lawmakers celebrated protecting K-12 education from cuts in the new state budget. Aiello said the fact that the school wasn't shielded from cuts shows where the state's priorities are.

"And I worry about the future of deaf kids that are born in Indiana. People are not going to want to stay here, they're not going to want to raise their kids here," Aiello said. "I'm worried about what choices people are going to have in the future — what choices my family is going to have to make. Are we going to have to move out of state to find better services for him."

The Indiana Department of Education said budget cuts are necessary to ensure students at the school "continue to have access to the high-quality classroom experience necessary to thrive."

Brandon is our Statehouse bureau chief. Contact him at bsmith@ipbs.org or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5.