Inside the grassroots push for a new STEM middle school in Prospect Heights

A new public school will open by September 2018 in Brooklyn’s District 13, at the corner of Dean Street and 6th Avenue, just across the street from the Barclays Center. It is still uncertain what plans the School Construction Authority (SCA) will have for this new school.
The SCA is not the only group thinking about this, however. Parent-teacher organizations, civic groups and local officials recently formed M.S. OneBrooklyn. The coalition issued a Change.org petition last week, asking that the new school in District 13 be a middle school that focuses on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
The petition is addressed to Mayor Bill de Blasio and Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña, and asks for “a comprehensive STEM curriculum, including developing partnerships with Brooklyn’s expanding high-tech sectors to provide software engineering and robotics.”

It’s essential that kids learn these skills.

“It’s essential that kids learn these skills,” said Rob Underwood, an elected member of Community Education Council District 13. “If kids are to develop a sophisticated” and mature relationship with technology they have to “make things,” not only “consume” tech products, Underwood said.
That means software engineering and coding, he said.
As of July 14, over 660 people had signed the petition.
Petitioners are trying to get decisive support from elected local officials. Maggie Spillane, a member of the parent-teacher organization at Brooklyn’s P.S. 9 said that these officials have meetings with the School Construction Authority, and therefore have an important influence on the final decision. “We still have more outreach to do in that regard,” Spillane said.
This would not be the first middle school offering a STEM program in the area. Just three blocks away, on Dean Street and 3rd Avenue, M.S, 447 — The Math & Science Exploratory School offers a STEM focus. But it’s located in District 15.
“We’ve already experienced a great demand for this type of program, and it’s extremely competitive for students to get in,” said Craig Hammerman, district manager of Brooklyn Community Board 6, which neighbors the territory of Community Board 8, where the new school is to be built. According to Hammerman, this high demand suggests there is a need for more “access and opportunity” for similar programs.
“Ideally, the STEM program would be a part of every curriculum, in every school, at every level,” he said, “and this needs to be experienced earlier on.”
Spillane said that the New York City Department of Education hasn’t responded yet to the M.S. OneBrooklyn project.
Department of Education Deputy Press Secretary Jason Fink tells Technical.ly Brooklyn that current plans “are under review.” The department “welcomes feedback from stakeholders throughout the community and we are engaged in an ongoing dialogue on how to best meet the needs of families,” he wrote.