Jersey City is moving forward with a new high school in its SciTech
Scity, a planned 30-acre innovation campus around the Liberty Science Center.
The new Liberty Science High School will be developed by the
city in partnership with Liberty Science Center (LSC) and Hudson County Board
of Education in what’s being hailed as a “mini city of the future”, with a
technological hub for students, innovators, entrepreneurs, and scientists to work
together.
The state-of-the-art
school will include a set of skill-centric classes for students in grades 9-12.
The Hudson County Schools of Technology (HCST) will oversee operations at the
new public county magnet high school to provide 400 science-talented high school
students from across Hudson County with an opportunity for a curriculum
centered on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) that will
leverage a work education program around the 200+ technology startup companies
and entrepreneurs that will call SciTech Scity home.
The City of Jersey City donated 12.5 acres to SciTech Scity
and will provide financial assistance for school operating costs.
To date, LSC has raised $27 million in philanthropic
donations for the innovation campus, including $5 million specifically for the
public high school. LSC plans to break ground on SciTech Scity in 2021 and open
the first phase, including the Edge Works incubator, in 2023.
Edge Works will provide nearly 100,000 square feet of research labs, private studios, open workspaces, and a conference center. Also onsite will be Scholars Village, a residential component for innovators, scientists, entrepreneurs, and their families.
“We are revolutionizing what public education can
accomplish, and this partnership with the county is a significant step towards
our vision of creating an ecosystem of innovation to educate and inspire future
entrepreneurs and scientists,” said Mayor Fulop. “The students will also gain
direct access to businesses onsite for unique internship opportunities to further
cultivate their career paths. Overall, SciTech Scity will establish Jersey City
as a worldwide destination for innovative forward-thinkers, bringing thousands
of jobs and countless opportunities to our area.”
“We are excited to work with the county and the city to
create a world-class science high school,” said Paul Hoffman, President and CEO
of Liberty Science Center. “The students will have access to LSC’s unique
assets, like our Jennifer Chalsty Planetarium, the largest planetarium in the
Western Hemisphere, and to internships and mentorships at the cutting-edge
startup companies in our Edge Works business incubator.”
Under the new partnership, the Hudson County Improvement
Authority will be designated as the Project Developer to construct the school.
The idea of SciTech Scity began in 2015 when Mayor Fulop and
the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency awarded Liberty Science Center with the
redevelopment rights to 12.5 acres of land adjacent to LSC and Liberty State
Park. Mayor Fulop challenged LSC CEO Paul Hoffman to develop a project that
would be transformative for the region and further strengthen New Jersey as a
leader in scientific and technological innovation. SciTech Scity now consists of 30 acres of
land.
