Beacon School Saved From Chopping Block, Says Halloran

The Beacon Program at M.S. 158 Marie Curie will not close, Councilman Dan Halloran, R-Whitestone, announced on Monday night.

The program, which offers after-school tutoring and enrichment students from the area, cost $334,000 annually to run each year, according to District officials.

Many District and political insiders had that the program would be re-factored into the City's 2013 budget, and that the threat to close its doors was mere political jockeying.

Read Halloran's statement on the budget below:

 “For once, Northeast Queens has gotten something close to its fair share. We saved our firehouses, our Beacon programs, and the pool at Fort Totten. My constituents, in the second-most taxed district in New York City, finally avoided the brunt of City budget cuts. I thank the Speaker for showing a commitment to Northeast Queens.

 “But with this budget, we’ve achieved short-term victories at the expense of the long term. We kicked the can of major budget woes down the road to be dealt with by our successors and future generations. We used up our surplus and pinned our hopes on increased tax revenue. We’re presuming that the economy will recover this year. But what if it doesn't? We need a more forward-thinking budget process that lives within our present means and doesn’t assume some future pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.”