The Daily Orange is a nonprofit newsroom that receives no funding from Syracuse University. Consider donating today to support our mission.

The city of Syracuse is set to begin construction in 2021 on the first regional science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics school in New York state. 

The school, which will cater to high school students who want to pursue a career in STEAM fields, is part of the city’s Syracuse Surge, an initiative that aims to improve the city’s economy through technological advancements. 

An exact start date for the school’s construction is unclear. The building is set to open within the next two years, said Jen Tifft, deputy commissioner at the department of neighborhood and business development in Syracuse.

“Students can potentially start in the fall of 2022 or 2023, depending on the timeline of construction,” Tifft said. “It’s just exciting that shovels will be in the area in 2021.”

Gov. Andrew Cuomo committed over $70 million in January 2020 to renovate the old Central Technical High School, near downtown Syracuse, into a STEAM school. Central Tech, which is now vacant, has been closed since 1975. 

The city hopes the school will be able to connect students with internships and apprenticeships that they may not have access to in a traditional high school, Tifft said. 

“There is a lot of interest and lots of agreement among suburban school districts that sending students to the STEAM school would be a great opportunity,” Tifft said. 

Jody Manning, the city’s main consultant for the project, has been working with the Syracuse City School District to construct a curriculum plan and method for admitting students to the school. 

SCSD is still working on an admission plan for the school that will allow nearby school districts to decide whether their students can opt to attend the STEAM school, Tifft said. About 60% of the admission slots will be reserved for Syracuse residents, with 40% of the slots allocated for students in the surrounding towns and county. 

“The plan hasn’t been fully finalized yet, but there will definitely be some sort of application process,” Tifft said. 

Mayor Ben Walsh, who provided brief updates about the school in his State of the City address in January, has said the school will benefit local students and the wider community as graduates join the workforce.

Walsh announced the city’s plans to open the STEAM school in his 2019 State of the City address, when he also announced the Syracuse Surge. While the pandemic has halted several of the Surge’s programs, others have continued remotely throughout the pandemic.

“We pushed this project forward so our kids will have access to superior STEAM education in a state-of-the-art, downtown school,” Walsh said at his 2021 State of the City address. “We are on track for work to begin on the project this year.”

Published on February 16, 2021 at 8:40 pm

Contact Katie: kjscovil@syr.edu