ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The Rochester City School District’s proposed budget for the 2026-27 school year is cutting funding for the Home Hospital Instruction Program, which offers at-home lessons to homebound students.
News10NBC’s Declan Stablow spoke with the program and learned its budget is slated to decrease by more than 94 percent. Sarah Spano with the Home Hospital Instruction Program says that loss means students will miss out on valuable one-on-one time with teachers.
“I’m thinking about a kindergartener who was in a car accident who had a spinal cord injury way up high and being able to be in person with her and teach her to read using multi sensory best practices is like, I wanna say a gift but it’s really a right,” Spano said.
She says it allows teachers to meet each student’s needs on an individual level. “They’re able to have access to hands on learning. They can do science experiments. They can hold manipulatives in their hands. We can help them set up technology,” Spano said. “Not all of our students have access to the use of their hands.”
This school year the program’s budget was more than $2.8 million. Next year’s proposed budget only grants it about $150,000.
Spano says as it stands, the program won’t have its full teaching staff next year. She’s most worried about her students.
“When I think about some of the kids that I’ve had the privilege to engage with, I think it will impact them the most,” Spano said. “We’ve provided access to so many students who would have otherwise been unable to attend school.”
Spano received an email from the superintendent saying they did get funding to restore some teaching positions, but no indication of how many. She still worries they won’t be able to meet student needs.
“I think about a high school student who is learning to self-regulate and might be autistic and is using an alternate mode of communication… trying to communicate with that student via a screen and teach self-regulation and basic communication just feels disheartening,” Spano said.
News10NBC reached out to the district asking what its plan is for students in the program, what communication it’s had with the Home Hospital Instruction Program and the reason behind the funding cut, but has not heard back. The program has served about 140 students this school year so far and expects that number to increase by summer.
Groups served by the Home Hospital Instruction Program include students with disabilities, serious injuries, physical or mental or emotional illness and pregnant students.
Rochester students with disabilities may lose hands-on learning access WHEC.com.
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