The Aurora City Council on Tuesday night is set to consider about a $2.5 million, five-year contract to continue a STEAM educational program for underserved young people it has held for three years.
The contract would be with Aurora-based APS Training Academy, which has run the program for the past three years.
The item will be on unfinished business for a vote at Tuesday’s council meeting.
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.
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 would provide the kits.
Last year, the city contracted with APS for the programs for $500,000. The new contract would run for five years at $2.525 million, which comes out to $500,500 a year. The contract would actually be for three years, with two more, one-year options.
slord@tribpub.com
