Groundbreaking held for the $74M Syracuse STEAM School

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Officials on Thursday morning held a groundbreaking for the upcoming Syracuse STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) School.

It’ll be Central New York’s first regional technical high school, which will open in 2025 thanks to a $71 million state commitment, the office of Gov. Kathy Hochul said in Thursday’s announcement.

The Syracuse STEAM School will operate in the newly rehabilitated Central Tech school building, just south of the downtown area.

Hochul was in Syracuse for the groundbreaking ceremony. She was joined by representatives of Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: MU), the United Federation of Teachers, American Federation of Teachers, New York State United Teachers, and local officials.

During the visit, the governor also announced that New York State and Micron will invest $4 million in the New York Advanced Technology Framework. It will seek to help school districts in New York build their own curriculum in semiconductors and high-tech manufacturing.

Today’s announcements “highlight the continued collaboration between New York State, businesses, and labor leaders to ensure Central New York is prepared to welcome the region’s growing technology manufacturing industry,” Hochul’s office said.

“Through the investments we’re making in Central New York, we’re expanding educational opportunities for students while ensuring the region is ready to welcome the jobs and opportunity coming through Micron’s transformative project,” Hochul said in a news release. “By investing in high-tech education and advanced manufacturing, we can ensure the next generation of New Yorkers is prepared to fill the jobs of the future. We’re committed to building a global chip-making hub right here in New York.”

The school will offer a “rigorous,” STEAM-focused curriculum paired with a range of industry and higher-education partnerships providing opportunities for internships, mentoring, job shadowing, and college-level coursework, per Hochul’s office.

The high school will help prepare students in Central New York for jobs in the region’s growing high-tech manufacturing industry.

The state has committed more than $71 million to this project, along with Micron’s $10 million commitment to the school and other STEM-related K-12 programs as a part of the company’s Community Investment Framework with Empire State Development (ESD) and Amazon’s $1.75 million commitment.

Groundbreaking for the STEAM High School is “more evidence of progress” on the Syracuse Surge, the city’s strategy for “inclusive growth in the New Economy,” Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh said in the state’s release.

“Transforming the long vacant Central Tech High School into a state-of-the-art regional learning center will help break down long standing educational barriers between urban and suburban school districts and ensure our young people are better prepared to capitalize on the career opportunities of the future right here in their own hometown,” Walsh said.