Rochester School for the Deaf

What it reported doing in 2024

Education and related services - rochester school for the deaf (rsd) provides educational programs for deaf and hard of hearing children newborn to age 22, through funding from the New York state department of education (nysed). These programs are based on the unique language, communication, educational, and social needs of each child appointed to the school by the nysed. At the end of the 2024-2025 school year, rsd served 136 students from 33 school districts in 12 counties. Children were enrolled in deaf infant, pre-kindergarten, elementary, middle, and high school programs (New York state registered programs awarding regents and high school diplomas, career development and occupational studies commencement credentials, and skills and achievement commencement credentials). Accomplishments for this school year include: - at the early childhood center, the family instructional and resource service team (f.i.r.s.t.) program and preschool served 21 babies and toddlers with home visits and in-person classes. An additional 12 students attended preschool on campus. Assessments and standards were used to plan curriculum and instruction, with a focus on language, cognition, social-emotional learning and self-help, physical development, and belonging. Authentic hands-on instruction is based on the students interests and is play based. In our 4-year olds classrooms, we follow nys prekindergarten learning standards. Communication classes address the ifsp/iep goals for individual children, focusing on language development and other skills. The natural playground/outdoor classroom extends the learning space, fostering creativity and supporting gross motor, language, cognition, and social emotional development. Staff continue to develop a rich library of asl storytime videos as a resource to families, and offered asl storytime at a local library, as well as the zoo and museums as part of deaf culture celebrations. - in our k-12 program, enrollment at the end of the school year was as follows: elementary (k-5) 48, middle school (6-8) 19, and high school (9-12) 36. Rsd graduated 4 seniors: 1 with nys regents diplomas, 2 with a local diploma, and 1 with a skills and achievement credential. The robust k-12 curriculum was supplemented by the positive behavioral interventions and supports program and programming to support belonging, cultural identity and pride, including numerous outside visitors. A new career and technical education program continues to be developed. The bilingual (asl-english) literacy continues to be an area of focus and development, with the addition of a bilingual grammar curriculum specifically designed for deaf learners. A series of workshops for parents and students addressed needs identified in parent surveys, including topics such as literacy learning, asl skills and deaf culture, and drugs, alcohol and addiction. Students participated in a wide range of athletics, clubs, and programs, including chess club, jr. Nad, battle of the books, gallaudet's academic bowl, ntid math competition, and more. Esports was added to the opportunities, and rsd won the first-ever national deaf scholastic esports championship. Athletics, in particular, plays an important role in the lives of students and point of pride at rsd, with extensive travel to other deaf schools for tournaments. Rsd hosted the esdaa volleyball championship tournament for over 10 deaf schools from the eastern part of united states.- learning continued in the ecc and grades k-8 with an extended 6-week school year program (summer school) designed to support qualifying students with their iep goals. In summer 2024, high school students had the opportunity to participate in a residential independent living program, internships at the university of rochester's wilmot cancer institute, and a work experience program.- family engagement and communication remains a priority, with regular updates/newsletters, frequent communication between school leaders and home, and a var

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 80.4%; rating input score 80
• Program expense ratio: 88.4%; rating input score 88
• Fundraising efficiency: $19.43 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
  • Compensation committee: Missing
  • Independent consultant: Missing
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
  • Written employment contract: Pass
  • Compensation survey or study: Pass
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: Limited
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 95.5%; rating input score 95; 29th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 10.5%; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.35; rating input score 47; 47th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.16; rating input score 65; 65th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 2.9%; rating input score 68; 68th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 1.3% per year; rating input score 100; 16th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 1.7% per year; rating input score 100; 16th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: -0.8% per year; rating input score 0; 8th percentile among comparable filings