THE INDIANA School for the Deaf has laid off 26 staff members, including janitors and nurses, following a 5-percent budget cut required by state law, prompting outcry from families and advocacy groups.
In April, school leaders were informed that House Enrolled Act 1001—passed by the Indiana General Assembly—mandates all state agencies to reduce their budgets by 5 percent over the next two fiscal years. Because the school is classified as a state agency, it is subject to the funding reduction.
Advocates argue the school should be exempt from the cut, citing its specialized role in serving deaf and hard-of-hearing students.
“We are trying to advocate for the deaf school, requesting that the 5 percent cut would be waived and not applied to the school, because they are not really state agencies when you look at the bigger picture,” says Catherine Vest, vice president of the Indiana Association of the Deaf.
Before the legislation, the school operated on an $18.3 million budget, historically functioning at around $20 million. The new funding level of approximately $17 million, administrators say, significantly affects school operations.
The cuts have forced the elimination of all janitorial positions, leaving teachers and staff to clean classrooms, stairways, and other areas except for bathrooms. The overnight nurse role was also cut, raising safety concerns for dormitory students, who no longer have access to medical care overnight.
Camp Willard, a popular summer day camp for deaf and hard-of-hearing students in grades 3 through 8, was also canceled due to lack of funds. Organizers say the camp relied on both federal and state dollars to support staffing and food service.
“Because of these 26 layoffs, it’s affecting the whole school and many areas of the students’ lives as well,” Vest says. “They had to lay off all of these essential staff members that played an integral role in the health and safety of our deaf students.””
The 2025 Indiana state budget includes a 2 percent increase in funding for public and private schools. However, the Indiana School for the Deaf and the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired did not receive the increase.
“So all of the Indiana public and private schools received a 2 percent increase, while at the same time, the Indiana School for the Deaf and the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired got a 5 percent decrease,” Vest says. “So the math is not mathing.”
In addition to layoffs and program cuts, staff at the deaf school now receive 50 percent fewer professional development days and have five fewer workdays than their peers at other public schools in the state.
The Indiana Association of the Deaf and parents have formed advocacy groups, sent letters, made phone calls, and emailed lawmakers in hopes of reversing the budget cut. So far, they say they’ve received little response.
Indiana Governor Mike Braun, in a recent interview with WTHR, referred to the cut as a “chip shot”—a comment that advocates interpreted as dismissive.
