STEM School Exploration Continues
The process of exploring the feasibility of establishing a STEM school in the Huntington School District is continuing as officials gather information in a host of areas critical to getting the initiative off the ground.
Superintendent James W. Polansky updated the Huntington School Board about the process during the trustees’ public meeting last week. Should the new educational program be established, it will be housed at Jack Abrams School on Lowndes Avenue in Huntington Station.
Mr. Polansky said officials are investigating the availability of federal, state and corporate grants to underwrite creation of the school, which would have a heightened focus on science, technology, engineering and math instruction and activities, as well as encompassing
English, social studies and other areas of traditional education that are featured in the district’s elementary schools
If the district decides to establish a STEM program, it would operate as a magnet school and initially enroll several elementary grade levels. Parents would be given the choice of keeping their child at their regularly assigned school building or placing them in the STEM school, which would operate as a magnet school without the usual attendance zone boundaries.
Mr. Polansky said the district is looking into the possibility of creating partnerships with corporations, colleges and research labs and is also reaching out to the Long Island STEM hub.
The costs associated with creating a STEM school are one of the major obstacles the district would have to navigate past. The state’s property tax cap law severely restricts the district’s ability to raise its revenues.
“There is a range of items that must be considered as we delve further into the STEM magnet concept,” Mr. Polansky said. “I am excited about the prospect. It is important for us to move forward comprehensively and deliberately, and also in a manner that includes all school community stakeholders.”
District officials, including two Huntington School Board members visited the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Magnet School at Annie Fisher in Hartford, Connecticut in late October to learn more about the STEM concept and how such a school operates. They came away impressed with what they saw and heard at the K-8 school.
Mr. Polansky said the district would need to develop mission and vision statements for Huntington’s STEM school, establish local committees to discuss the initiative and engage in community outreach to educate parents and gauge their interest.
The multi-pronged exploration of the STEM program and whether it’s feasible for the Huntington School District to establish such a school, also includes a focus on the interior building modifications that might be needed to accommodate the initiative at Jack Abrams School. Officials are also considering which grade levels should initially be included in the STEM program.
Mr. Polansky said preparing faculty members who will deliver the STEM school’s instruction is also vital to the initiative’s success. The district plans to share information with current elementary school teachers to determine their level of interest in the school. Should the initiative move forward, the district will send prospective program teachers to conferences and workshops on STEM and inquiry-based instructional strategies and provide participating faculty members with lab safety training.
The district’s exploration of the feasibility of establishing a STEM school also includes an analysis of school day and student scheduling considerations and consideration of available STEM resources and grade-level spiraling, which would allow every student to work and make progress at an appropriate level without being swamped with new information.
Mr. Polansky said the district would need to gain state approval to operate a magnet school without attendance zones. That process would include providing officials with a comprehensive plan for the STEM school.
As the exploration process advances, additional updates are expected to be provided to trustees during public meetings.