NEW YORK – June 18, 2015 – (RealEstateRama) — Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer today announced a slate of capital grant awards promoting the use of technology and technology instruction in Manhattan’s public schools. The grants will be included in the city’s budget for Fiscal Year 2016, whose adoption is expected later this month.
“There is no better investment than in modern tools and technology for the classroom, because they help prepare our kids for today’s working world,” said Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer. “That’s why my office has made technology for education a priority in our capital funding grant program this year. Fifty-seven schools across the entire borough of Manhattan will get significant tech upgrades as a result of this funding.”
Each year, as part of the city’s budget process, the five borough presidents are mandated by the City Charter to allot a portion of the city’s capital budget for the purchase or improvement of fixed assets such as buildings or other infrastructure. Each borough president then allocates that funding to City agencies, cultural institutions, or nonprofit organizations according to each office’s own process and priorities.
As part of her capital allocations this year, Brewer dedicated more than $6 million to fund tech upgrades and applications of technology in the schools, more than 20 percent of her total allocations. Many of these investments will directly enhance STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) instruction.
Highlighted projects made possible by this funding include:
• Renovations and equipment purchases for a recording studio at Harlem Renaissance High School in Central Harlem and a music lab at the Patrick Henry Preparatory School (P.S./I.S. 171) in East Harlem.
• Electrical infrastructure upgrades at P.S. 182 in East Harlem, to end recurring power outages and allow more in-classroom use of computers and electronics.
Other projects and equipment purchases these funds will make possible include:
• Purchase of “A+” mobile STEM lab workstations
• Conversion and creation of new technology labs in various schools
• Classroom audio systems
• “Smartboard” classroom instructional display tools
• New computers and workstations
As a member of the City Council, Brewer was the founding chair of Council’s Committee on Technology and a committed supporter of technology in the classroom. As Borough President, she has continued and expanded upon this commitment. In addition to prioritizing school technology projects in her capital allocations, Brewer has convened a task force to help plan the investment of state Smart Schools Bond Act funding in Manhattan schools, and recently hosted a “speed-dating”-style event to forge partnerships between members of New York’s tech community and Manhattan public school administrators.
Click here for a full list of school technology capital grant awardees.
Contact:
Andrew Goldston | agoldston (at) manhattanbp.nyc (dot) gov | 917.960.1187
