LONDONDERRY — The district’s adult education program is seeking a $63,000 state grant for new computers and expanded services for students with educational disabilities.

The School Board gave its unanimous blessing Tuesday night for program director Greg Warren to submit the grant application.

Warren said the grant money would be used to hire five special education teachers and a guidance counselor for the coming fall semester, as well as purchase 20 laptop computers for incoming students.

Each teacher, as well as the guidance counselor, would work four hours each week, with two 15-week semesters offered during the school year. The total cost for the additional staff would be $25,700. The cost of the 20 laptop computers, along with software, staff training and communications upgrades, would total $31,300. The remainder of the grant funds would be used to purchase a traveling computer cart to be used in multiple classrooms, instructional materials and office supplies.

Currently, there are three special education teachers assisting in the evening program.

In recent years, however, the adult education program has seen an increase in younger students who tend to enroll in the program with fewer education credits.

Such students often require additional academic support, Warren said, since many of them also have special needs. The new special education teachers would assist the existing staff with core courses in English and math, while filling a huge void in the science department.

“Biology has proven to be a difficult one for many,” said Warren. “The value of having the assistance of special education teachers in the evening program has allowed the Londonderry Adult Education Program to support students requiring specialized instruction and modifications to the curriculum.”

Having a certified school counselor on staff offers further assistance to adult education and at-risk students with their transition from high school to post-secondary programs.

This past year was the first year the program has offered this resource, and grant funding will allow the district to continue offering counseling services to its adult education population.

“We’ve had great success. This is an area that continues to be endorsed at the state level and has been successful in various programs throughout the state,” Warren said.

Using improved technology, such as laptop computers on a mobile laboratory, will prove advantageous to all learners but will be particularly helpful for those with learning disabilities, he added.

According to Superintendent Nathan Greenberg, state education requirements don’t require adult education programs to offer special education services, since those programs are separate from the traditional curriculum.

“Fortunately though, we’ve seen an increase in funding for adult education, so the idea is to use that additional funding to provide these needed services,” he added.

This year’s adult education graduation will take place June 6 at 6:30 p.m. in the Londonderry High School cafeteria.