Rombout Middle principal outlines testing, programming and possible 9‑period day at Jan. 13 Beacon City School District board meeting

Brian Soltis, principal of Rombout Middle School, told the Beacon City School District Board of Education on Jan. 13 that the school is working to raise student participation in state testing, expand elective and extracurricular offerings, and strengthen academic interventions while school leaders study schedule changes that could affect next year’s budget.

Soltis, speaking during the board’s workshop, gave enrollment and program details for grades 6–8, said the school offers three sections each of Regents Algebra and Living Environment for eighth graders, and described participation in diagnostic assessments. "Troy is an amazing kid and I will tell you it means the world to him that he got that in the newsletter," Soltis said, referring to a district newsletter honor that recognized a student. He used the example to underline the impact of small recognition efforts on student morale.

Why it matters: the presentation tied classroom programming, assessment participation and a possible schedule change together as items that could affect instruction and the district’s budget. The superintendent told the board the district is exploring a nine‑period day for Rombout that could expand elective options and give teams built‑in collaboration time — but that it would carry additional…