Funding will boost programs throughout district
By Jeff Simms
The Beacon City School District has been awarded a $400,000 grant from the New York Department of Education to bolster its elementary music programs and offer an additional foreign language, likely at Rombout Middle School and Beacon High School.
The grant was part of $28.5 million in state funding awarded to 38 districts. Beacon will receive the money over the next two years.
Superintendent Matt Landahl said that the money will pay for salaries, materials and supplies, and professional development. Music will be offered in fourth grade, a year earlier than it is currently, while the language to be added will likely be Mandarin Chinese. The foreign language will be implemented in the 2019-20 school year and the enhanced music program could launch this fall, he said.
