The Aurora City Council this week approved a $2.5 million contract for up to five years of a popular STEAM program for disadvantaged young people in the city.
The council approved the contract with Aurora-based APS Training Academy, which has run the program for the past three years. The contract approved on Tuesday night is for three years, with two, one-year options after that.
Unanimous approval of the contract came after endorsements from both parents of students in the program, and students themselves.
Hayden Malloy, an eighth-grader at Fred Rodgers Magnet School in the East Aurora School District, said being involved in the programs has inspired her to consider engineering as a field of study. After a year in the program, she volunteered to also be a helper.
“Thanks you for investing in the youth of Aurora,” she said.
Lesha Saxon said her two daughters have been involved in the programs.
“It allows kids to dream while preparing our future leaders to be critical thinkers,” she said.
The STEAM program began three years ago as a pilot program in the 2nd and 7th wards. It grew to having 600 student participants from throughout the city in 2021, and to 2,029 students in 2022.
Nicole Astra, APS Academy executive director, told aldermen that last year 2,923 students participated for free in the programs, and so far this year, 577 have participated.
The program began as a public-private partnership between the city of Aurora, Elmhurst-based TinkRworks and Aurora’s APS Training Academy. It delivers science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics, or STEAM, services to underserved youth in the city.
With the new contract, APS would take over the program by providing the kits each student in the program receives. In the past, APS has provided the locations for the training, as well as the teachers. With the new contract, it also will provide the kits.
City officials have said the city sent out requests for proposals for this year’s program, and got back seven responses. Four of the respondents did not meet the curriculum the city wanted, and two of the others were not in Aurora, so they did not have Aurora facilities, officials said.
Last year, the city contracted with APS for the programs for $500,000. The new contract will run for five years at $2.525 million, which comes out to $500,500 a year.
Ald. Patty Smith, 8th Ward, thanked APS for the program, and said she understood a student who said she did not have STEAM parents.
“I’m not a (STEAM) parent, either,” she said.
Ald. Michael Saville, 6th Ward, said the programs are “much-needed for everyone.”
“It does sound like positive work,” said Ald. John Laesch, at large.
slord@tribpub.com
