State Sen. Steve Santarsiero (D-10th dist.) announced the award of two PAsmart Targeted grants to benefit New Hope-Solebury School District and Pennsbury School District.
Gov. Wolf’s PAsmart initiative aims to prepare students with skills required for in-demand jobs, focusing on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) programs and teacher training.
“The importance of STEM education is only increasing,” Santarsiero said. “It is estimated that over the next decade, more than 70 percent of new jobs in Pennsylvania will be in STEM-related fields. I’m proud of the work our school districts are doing to prepare students for the future job market.”
New Hope-Solebury School District will be using these funds from PAsmart to enhance the computer science programs at all grade levels and increase opportunities for students to participate in robotics education at the secondary level.
During the current school year, Pennsbury elementary schools launched a STEM program called SPARK. With the funds from the PAsmart grant, Pennsbury middle schools and the Applied Engineering and Technology Education department will be introducing a new curriculum called Project Lead the Way.
“This grant will provide the opportunity for students to continue to develop age-appropriate STEM skills in middle school before they have the opportunity to take courses such as Robotics & Coding, Engineering and Product Design at Pennsbury High School,” said Jessica Perfetto, Applied Engineering and Technology Education District Curriculum Coordinator at Pennsbury High School West.
