BCSD Superintendent Updates

Superintendent Weekly Update Monday, February 2, 2026

 

Budget Update

 

In my last budget update, I shared that the Governor is proposing an increase in pre-K funding, which would be very helpful for Beacon. One concerning item in the Governor’s budget is that Beacon is among the 68% of school districts receiving only a 1% increase in state Foundation Aid. This 1% increase comes close to covering the many initiatives passed down from the state.  It is important ot note that the state has both a surplus and substantial reserves.  A key advocacy point for us will be an increase in foundation aid beyond 1%.  I will keep you updated.

 

Here are some of the upcoming budget presentations at Board of Education meetings.

February 9- Athletics

February 19- Tax Cap calculation and Universal Pre-k

March 9- Instructional and Facilities

March 23 Pupil Personnel Services and Technology

April 13- District Budget Overview

 

Star Students

Gianna and Sofia Cruz are twin sisters in 8th grade at Rombout Middle School. They both arrive at RMS early every day to take Advanced Art starting at 7:30 am. Ms. Clow, the art teacher, said, "Sofia Cruz is a phenomenal student and artist! Having her in the advanced art class is such a breath of fresh air.  Gianna Cruz is a joy to have in the advanced art class! Her imagination and artistic ability make me so happy to be an art educator." In addition to advanced art, they excel at math. Mrs. Paredes said, "Sofia and Gianna Cruz are hard-working students who stay focused and on task each day, consistently completing all of their assignments with care and responsibility. Always willing to lend a helping hand, they regularly support their classmates and contribute to a positive learning environment. Beyond their academic dedication, the girls are known for their kindness and respect toward peers and adults alike. Their positive attitudes, teamwork, and willingness to help others make them wonderful role models. Truly, they are all-around lovely young ladies who brighten the school community."

Gianna and Sofia are also involved outside of the classroom. Gianna Cruz has been a member of the modified cheer team for both the fall and winter seasons. In the fall season, she was the captain of the cheer team. She was a natural leader - patient, caring, and always willing to support new cheerleaders. Sofia was the biggest supporter of our cheer team. She consistently stepped in to help, ensuring every teammate felt included and supported. Gianna and Sofia are also both active members of our Home & Careers Club. They always greet everyone with a smile and offer to help. Every meeting, they stay late to help the advisor (Mrs. Garrett) clean up the room and put the chairs up. One of the club's most popular projects (chocolate chip croissants), was their suggestion. They never fail to be stellar examples of kindness, generosity, and politeness. 

 

Harlem Wizards- Get Your Tickets!

 

Black History Month Performance

Upcoming Home Athletic Games

Monday, February 2

Unified Bowling Spins Wappingers 3:00

Boys Swimming BHS 4:30

 

Thursday, February 5

Boys and Girls Varsity Bowling Schneider’s Fishkill Bowl 3:15

Modified Wrestling RMS 4:15

JV Girls Basketball BHS 5:00

Varsity Girls Basketball 6:30

 

Friday, February 6

Modified Girls Basketball RMS 4:30

JV Wrestling BHS 5:00

Varsity Wrestling BHS 6:00

 

Saturday, February 7

JV Girls Basketball BHS 11:00

Varsity Girls Basketball BHS 1:00

 

Upcoming Community Event!

Have a great week!

 

Matt Landahl

Superintendent Weekly Update January 18, 2026

 

I am so happy to bring back our weekly star students!  Check in every week, we will rotate through all of our schools!

 

BCSD Star Student

Caroline Diaz is a junior at Beacon High School. She is a founding member of our chapter of DECA, a national organization that prepares promising student leaders for careers in business. Caroline was one of the top qualifiers at last week's regional DECA competition at Rockland Community College and was selected for the state competition. Caroline's AP African American Studies teacher and our DECA chapter advisor, Ms. Hammitt, shared that Caroline "helped us navigate the complexities of starting a DECA chapter, from recruiting members to assisting with coordinating our first competitive events."

 

Caroline is also a talented artist and is organizing a school-wide exhibit focusing on the intersection of art and student mental health. Caroline is an outstanding student; she is taking a rigorous schedule that includes multiple AP/dual-enrollment courses and has a GPA of over 100! Ms. Clemens, Caroline's AP U.S. History teacher, shares that Caroline "demonstrates a genuine passion for history through thoughtful and engaged class discussions," and that her "work ethic and intellectual curiosity make her an excellent role model for her peers."

 

Thank you!

Thank you again to our grounds and facilities team for working this weekend to clear all this snow!

 

MLK Day Community Event Tomorrow!

 

Harlem Wizards Tickets!  This is really fun, get your tickets now!  

 

Black History Month Community Performance

Rombout and some of our elementary students will see this performance during the day on February 18. Please join us!

 

Upcoming Home Athletic Events

 

Tuesday, January 20

JV Girls Basketball BHS 4:30

 

Wednesday, January 21

Boys Modified Basketball RMS 4:00

Girls JV Basketball BHS 4:30

Girls Modified Basketball RMS 5:30

Varsity Girls Basketball BHS 6:00

 

Thursday, January 22

Girls Varsity Basketball BHS 4:30

 

Friday, January 23

Modified Boys Wrestling RMS 4:15

JV Boys Basketball BHS 4:30

 

Have a great rest of your weekend! Stay safe in the snow!
 

 

Matt Landahl

Dear Beacon Families:

 

I am writing to inform you that on the evening of Tuesday, January 6, 2026, a phishing email was sent to some staff and students in the Beacon City School District. The email referenced job opportunities for students. We discovered this early Wednesday morning and quickly extracted the email from all student and staff inboxes before the school day began.   However, it appears that some students at Beacon High School and Rombout Middle School saw the email.  The link in the email asked for phone numbers and personal email addresses.

 

As a result, staff and students were notified via district email of this occurrence and asked to submit a help desk ticket if they had already opened the email and clicked the link. Students and staff who submitted a help ticket worked with our IT department to ensure their accounts were secure. We will continue to work with any student who lets us know they interacted with the email.  We have also been in contact with individual families of students who have clicked the link.

 

Please let us know if, after speaking with your child, you think they may have clicked on the link and/or shared personal information.  They can submit a help ticket via our website.  You can also contact our Director of Technology, Vanessa DeFonce, at defonce.v@beaconk12.org. We will continue working with our students to identify suspicious emails and avoid sharing personal information.  

 

Thank you,

 

Matt Landahl

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a restful break!  I am very excited to kick things off for this portion of the school year.

 

Budget Season Updates

I will begin providing short budget updates weekly later this month.  As with every year, there are many moving parts in state and federal funding, and I aim to keep everyone apprised of the latest thinking from Washington, Albany, and the district level.  After board meetings, we will also update our budget website with the latest presentations and slides. 

 

Winter Weather Reminders

I usually send something out around Thanksgiving with winter weather reminders and we jumped so quickly into winter weather this year I neglected to do that.  Here are a few reminders, as it appears we will have an active winter.

• Closing or two hour delay decisions will be issued between 5:00-5:30 am.
• Weather decisions are either based on road conditions or the upcoming forecast or both.  We continually review multiple weather forecasts and are up at 4:00am to make the best decision for the safety of our students and staff.
• Our first busses are on the road between 5:30-6:00 am so that is a big part of our decision making process.
• If the forecast is highly certain, such as a Severe Winter Storm Warning, we may be able to make the snow day decision the night before, but we typically wait until morning to review the most up-to-date information.

 

Thanks-

I want to take a moment to thank our Facilities and Grounds staff for all of the snow and ice removal they performed over the winter break!  Thank you!

 

Winter Coat Drive Info- This was a great partnership with our Beacon High School students, and I Am Beacon. Thanks to the community for donating over 300 coats!

 

Upcoming Home Athletic Events

Tuesday, January 6

JV Girls Basketball BHS 4:15

Varsity Girls Basketball BHS 6:00

 

Wednesday, January 7

JV Wrestling BHS 5:00

Varsity Wrestling BHS 6:00

 

Thursday, January 8

Boys Swimming and Diving BHS 4:30

 

Have a great rest of your week!
 

Matt Landahl

Superintendent Weekly Update December 20, 2025

Happy Holidays!

I want to wish everyone a great break and Happy Holidays!  I hope everyone gets some great time with family and friends over the break.  

 

Thank you!

The Winter Coat Drive and the Toy Drive were huge successes.  Each of our schools had donation boxes, and we collected over 300 winter coats and over 100 toys this past month.  This was an amazing show of support for families in need in our community. Thank you!

 

Upcoming Home Athletic Events

We only have one next week!

Monday, December 22

JV Boys Basketball BHS 4:30

Varsity Boys Basketball BHS 6:00

 

Film Festival Information!

 

Have a great weekend!

 

Matt Landahl