Miami Investing In Future, Makes Donation To iTech Summer Program

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – A Miami school now has the funding it needs to keep its door open for summer school.

“We want to make sure that every one of our children born in our city has an opportunity to be successful, to have a high-paying job,” said Mayor Francis Suarez.

On Monday, Suarez announced a substantial donation to the iTech Summer Program which will benefit a number of students.

“We were able to raise, in conjunction with Crown Castle, ourselves and the campaign, $70,000 that we’re giving here today to iTech Prep,” he said.

Officials say the money will go toward paying for supplies and faculty for their incoming 9th graders so they can get a leg up.

“We give them a head start on what the curriculum will look like at the beginning of the school year. So this summer we have a robotics program because the students compete in robotics. We’re also starting a program with cybersecurity where they also compete. We also have the Ten80 drone development program where they compete as well. So it gives them an opportunity to have a leg up, so to speak, from the students that are already here,” said school Principal Dr. LaShinda S. Moore.

Skills that Suarez said will not just help the students get good grades but ensure that they have a successful future.

“These are the kind of skills that they need for the jobs of tomorrow. So that when we said we want to create a Miami that’s here for everyone, we mean it. We mean that we want to give every child the opportunity to be successful, we want them to understand that the jobs tomorrow are going to be tech-based, so we want them to be prepared. The only way to be prepared is if they are taught the skills that they need to succeed,” said Suarez.

This the third time the city has made a donation and they plan on continuing to do it with the community’s help.