As part of the city’s “Internet Week”, Mayor Bill de Blasio unveiled key investments in this year’s budget at Belmont’s Bronx Academy for Software Engineering (BASE) that will support technology in the CUNY system and city schools, helping close the achievement gap and lift up students around the city.
East Bronx Councilman and the Council’s Tech Committee Chair James Vacca commented:
“New York City’s tech sector has expanded dramatically in recent years, and it is a vital part of our future. In order to ensure that we remain on the cutting edge of technological innovation, we must invest in programs which will prepare students for careers in the industry. I want to thank Mayor de Blasio for allocating this funding for STEM programs in high schools and CUNY community colleges.”
Joined by Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña and venture capitalist Fred Wilson at BASE, the the Mayor announced a $20-million investment in new devices and software to increase classroom connectivity, and a $650 million capital investment in wiring City schools and securing new hardware that keeps pace with the emerging ‘tech ecosystem.’
“The technology in our classrooms has to keep pace with the real world. The ability of our kids to succeed and compete depends on it. That’s why our budget makes strategic investments to link our schools to the innovators that drive our tech ecosystem, creates career pipelines from our high schools to top-tier firms, and exposes kids to the latest technology from the time they start pre-K to the day they graduate college,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio.
“Having technology in our classrooms brings excitement to learning, and helps our students prepare for the jobs of today and tomorrow,” said Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña. “Integrating hands-on and project-based learning into every day learning adds tremendous value to a child’s academic growth, and cultivates critical thinking skills that are crucial for success.”
The biggest growth sector in the coming years in New York City and around the world is technology and we must make certain our children are educated properly so they can work in high quality well-paying tech sector jobs. I am pleased that New York City and its public school system are making strides to provide this kind of education to our children,” said venture capitalist and BASE co-founder Fred Wilson.
BASE is one of two new unscreened high schools that offer computer science to all students as part of standard Regents-prep high school experience. BASE has connections to major tech firms and groups like Google, New York Tech Meetup, General Assembly, Girls Who Code and StartUp Box: South Bronx, amazing resources for Bronx high school students. In addition, the school’s partnerships with the Museum of the Moving Image and NPower, facilitated by the Digital Ready program funded by the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, build teacher capacity to use technology in the classroom.
As part of this year’s executive budget, The Mayor outlined significant new investments to increase the availability of technology in the classroom citywide, and boost programs that allow students to pursue computer science-related academic tracks.
With respect to high education, the City will invest an additional $20 million in the coming fiscal year to expand STEM programs at CUNY community colleges, reaching 5,000 students in the first year.
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