BILL NUMBER: S9016
SPONSOR: MAY
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the education law and part B of chapter 56 of the laws
of 2020, amending the education law relating to establishing the Syra-
cuse Comprehensive Education and Workforce Training Center focusing on
Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math to provide instruction
to students in the Onondaga, Cortland and Madison county BOCES and the
central New York region in the areas of science, technology, engineer-
ing, arts and mathematics, and the education law, in relation to renam-
ing the Syracuse Comprehensive Education and Workforce Training Center
as the Syracuse Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics
high school
 
PURPOSE:
To update enabling legislation for the Syracuse STEAM school
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Amends the education law and part B of chapter 56 of the laws of 2020,
to update provisions of law establishing the Syracuse STEAM School
project.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
As part of the 2020 state budget, the legislature enacted language
establishing the Syracuse STEAM School, a first-of-its-kind regional
high school focused on a science, technology, engineering, arts, and
mathematics curriculum. This school will allow students from the City of
Syracuse and from surrounding school districts to attend one high school
together, with programs to prepare them for a variety of career opportu-
nities. Several provisions of the enacted bill paired the operation of
the STEAM school with an expanded workforce training center. Since
enactment of the enabling legislation, several factors have made these
provisions duplicative of ongoing efforts.
As one example: in 2023, the Syracuse Educational Opportunity Center,
which provides tuition-free job training, began a project to modernize
its facilities located just a few blocks from the STEAM school location.
This will allow them to create more flexible classroom and lab spaces
and expand their programming. Similarly, with the announcement of the
Micron project in 2023, further investments in workforce development are
ongoing, with partnerships expanding between Micron, Onondaga Community
College, other local colleges and universities, Syracuse EOC, OCM BOCES,
and many others. These stakeholders will work with the Syracuse STEAM
School to develop career pathways to match new workers with new and
expanding employers in the region.
This legislation recognizes the changes in the workforce development
landscape in Syracuse by allowing the Syracuse STEAM School to focus on
its primary mission: preparing high school students in the region for
good-paying jobs in careers of their choosing. As part of those career
pathways, these students will have further opportunities for career
education and workforce training through established programs in the
community.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New bill
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
Immediately