Lifespan School Solutions Inc

What it reported doing in 2024

LSS, doing business as "The Bradley School" (the School), is comprised of six private, school-funded, day treatment educational programs located in Rhode Island (4) and Connecticut (2) for children and adolescents whose psychiatric and behavioral needs cannot be met in a public school setting. These programs are accredited by the Departments of Education of Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Massachusetts and serve between 375 to 410 students. The School provides special education services to school-age children and adolescents (ages 3-21) with psychiatric and/or developmental challenges, often presenting oppositional and disruptive classroom behaviors, as well as social and life skill difficulties. In addition, there are a number of partnerships with Rhode Island school districts, as Bradley School-staffed classrooms are embedded within public schools. The Bradley School (the School) uses a blended learning environment to implement a fully Common Core State Standard-aligned curriculum in all content areas. Students learn through direct specialized instruction as well as online learning. The multisensory approach to instruction also includes traditional textbooks, hands-on opportunities, and experiential learning. The School also has a number of online intervention programs for math and reading that provide ongoing progress monitoring data that are crucial for the classroom staff to both develop and evaluate student progress. The School also offers a virtual high school curriculum which provides instruction in all high school courses, allowing students to choose classes that can be difficult to accommodate in a small private school environment. The School furnishes a remedial experience for students who were not able to succeed in settings with traditional classroom instruction. The use of a blended learning program at The School has been very successful in providing a rigorous curriculum while improving the proficiency and academic growth of students, specifically tailored to their learning needs. For students with developmental challenges who require additional support, teachers at The School use a curriculum that offers reading, math, science, social studies, life skills, and prevocational assessment and instruction, as well as a related program that provides information regarding weekly current events. This curriculum uses both visual and textual instruction to present information to students with unique learning needs. Art instruction is provided by teachers from the Newport Art Museum in Newport, Rhode Island and The Trinity Repertory Company in Providence, Rhode Island. The School also has three physical education teachers who serve all students, providing adapted physical education to students with special motor needs. The School utilizes textbooks and other traditional learning materials, as well as chromebooks, interactive whiteboards, and computers, so that all students can access the curriculum in a flexible manner which focuses on their learning needs. Students also participate in social-emotional learning. Classroom teams and clinicians use varied evidence-based strategies to introduce skills that can help students succeed behaviorally, socially, and in coping with challenging emotional circumstances.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 92.2%; rating input score 92
• Program expense ratio: 92.2%; rating input score 92
• Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
  • Compensation committee: Missing
  • Independent consultant: Missing
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
  • Written employment contract: Missing
  • Compensation survey or study: Missing
  • Board or committee approval: Missing
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: Limited
• Major donor itemization: Limited
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 33.3%; rating input score 33; 7th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 0%; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.51; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.72; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 2.9%; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 3.5% per year; rating input score 100; 29th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 1.8% per year; rating input score 100; 16th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 4.6% per year; rating input score 100; 33rd percentile among comparable filings