Dep. Speaker Williams on STEAM center expansion and Queens aviation

Questions related to things in my district.

So New York City Public Schools has consistently

Talked about preparing students for jobs of the future.

You know, yet access to high quality programs remain uneven across schools and communities.

So I just want to understand what investments is New York City Public Schools making to expand dedicated STEAM centers citywide?

How many currently exist?

Where are they located?

Do you have any timelines?

And just making it a loaded question, and I would love to get your answer on this, and then I'm done.

So students like mine in Southeast Queens were surrounded by a major economic engine, which is the airport, yet many students lack direct access to specialized STEAM facilities that connect learning, careers in aviation, engineering, cybersecurity,

AI, advanced tech.

So also just wanting to understand your plan to ensure geographic distribution and whatever other resources could be included in this budget to align with the many goals that New York City Public School has.

Yeah, so that was a lot.

So I should focus on the theme.

Yeah, essentially the theme centers.

How many do you have?

Where are they located?

And what is your plan?

Oh, Jane's coming.

Great.

The perfect person to answer the question on the record about New York City Public Schools theme centers.

Love that.

So, so, um...

So in thinking about our STEAM centers, we have the Brooklyn STEAM Center.

We have...

have the wrong steam center that we're working on and as well and and i know we have uh plans and are in in conversations about the queens now when it comes to aviation and you know i do have to shout out

uh aviation high school that i visited in queens it was um it's in long island city and it's like an hour and a half to get there we do have august martin okay they have an aviation program so shout out to august martin but it is not as a person who worked really closely with August Martin.

The kids were not in the cockpit for a decade, and I was able to help get outside funding to get the kids in the cockpit.

So I understand we do have August Martin, but that program is not specialized in the ways in which the STEAM Center is, and it is not connected to industry in the ways in which the STEAM Centers are.

Totally.

And so we're...

Beginning to and having real conversation about the sustainability of the STEAM centers that are in place right now.

We are, you know, each year we dedicate funding specifically to those two that are currently in existence and have and are expanding their programs, planning to expand their programs into next year.

And so I'm going to turn it over to Jane, who said to talk a little bit more about what we're doing regarding STEAM centers.

Thank you for the question, Deputy Chair Dr.

Williams.

So with our steam sensors, you correctly say they are an incredible innovation.

We have our innovation at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, which is a

now not as new as the other ones.

And then this year, we have really focused on ensuring that our Bronx STEAM Center, which is focusing on our partnership with Montifior around healthcare access, is beginning to grow.

As you know, you've been an incredible part of the feasibility work that's happening in Queens to ensure that we have that same kind of opportunities in the aviation industry for our Queens folks.

It is an incredible investment that we think is very important to very carefully look through.

So we are working all year along with the aviation folks and with

several potential anchor partners to ensure that we can actually have this not just be an innovation but a real sustainable model that we can replicate in Queens.

Thank you.

And yes, I would love for it to be included in the budget.

So it truly does look like a sustainability model.

I mean, yes, there's one in Brooklyn, there's one coming to the Bronx.

Hopefully we have one in Queens, but there are two other boroughs missing from that.

So I'd love to see it reflected in how you will do your budgets, because as far as I'm concerned, I think you only have the $15 million that I negotiated.

So I don't necessarily see a legitimate commitment from New York City public schools because you haven't committed any funds outside of, for Queens, outside of the ones that I negotiated from the previous administration.

So I'd love to see that reflected.

In your budget.

Thank you.