Official Site of The State of New Jersey

We are thrilled to announce the appointment of Rasheda Garcia as the new Superintendent of the Marie Katzenbach School for the Deaf! 

Superintendent Garcia brings to our community an exceptional breadth of experience combined with an unwavering commitment to creating an inclusive and empowering environment for all Deaf and hard of hearing students. Her passion for excellence in Deaf education, alongside her innovative perspectives, is poised to introduce fresh ideas that will enrich and elevate our school community.

Superintendent Garcia holds a Bachelor of Science degree in American Sign Language Interpreting and a Master of Science in Deaf Education from Bloomsburg University. Additionally, she has successfully completed the New Jersey Educational Leadership Program at Montclair University, where she earned her Principal and Superintendent certificates, as well as a certificate in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion from Florida University. Her extensive educational background reflects her dedication to fostering an inclusive learning environment that celebrates diversity.

Her professional journey has been diverse and impactful; she has served as an ASL/English interpreter in New York and as a Teacher of the Deaf in various settings, including Anchorage, Alaska, and the St. Francis School for the Deaf in Brooklyn. Superintendent Garcia’s leadership skills were recognized in 2017-2018 when she was honored as Teacher of the Year in her district. Most recently, she was the Principal of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Continuum at Bergen County Special Services, where she successfully established a collaborative Special Education and Deaf Education classroom for grades 7-12.

In addition to her substantial teaching and administrative experience, Superintendent Garcia is the Founder and CEO of Multicultural Teachers of the Deaf. This important organization advocates for cultural diversity and inclusion within Deaf education both nationally and internationally, focusing on the academic and social needs of Deaf children of color, and emphasizing the vital importance of increasing representation in the field. 

Please join us in warmly welcoming Superintendent Rasheda Garcia to our school community. We look forward to her leadership and to all the positive changes she will bring.

About MKSD

The Marie H. Katzenbach School for the Deaf has over 100 years of experience educating New Jersey’s Deaf and Hard of Hearing children. It is difficult to imagine when one visits Katzenbach in the twenty-first century that it was opened in 1883. The Katzenbach of today serves children birth to age twenty-one and recognizes that Deaf children can do anything hearing children can do.

Katzenbach provides students from Pre-K to age 21 with an atmosphere rich in Deaf culture, an environment of direct communication, and a curriculum that meets New Jersey Student Learning Standards. The goal of the educational programs is to facilitate the highest level of achievement among the students.  All instruction is provided by appropriately certified teachers.

Katzenbach offers a Residential Program for students who live too far away for a daily commute. The Residential Program also offers students the opportunity to participate in recreational activities with their peers, the same opportunity that is afforded to students in regular education environments.  Day students can participate in after school recreational activities through the sending school district's provision of a late bus or residential placement for the duration of the activity.

For enrollment inquiries, please email enrollment@mksd.org