Res. No. 465
Resolution commending the United States’ National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Artemis program, and calling on the New York City Department of Education and the City University of New York to expand STEM education and to promote careers in advanced technology industries
By Council Members Morano and Louis
Whereas, Since its inception in October 1958, the United States’ (“U.S.”) National Aeronautics and Space Administration (“NASA”) has studied Earth science and conducted cutting-edge research to advance technology and aeronautics; and
Whereas, In 2020, NASA, in coordination with the U.S. Department of State and 7 other signatory nations, established the Artemis Accords and thus, the Artemis program; and
Whereas, Through the Artemis program, NASA will send astronauts on increasingly difficult missions to explore more of Earth’s moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build a foundation towards the first crewed missions to Mars; and
Whereas, The Artemis program has completed 2 missions, including uncrewed Artemis I in December 2022 and crewed Artemis II in April 2026, and has 3 additional missions planned for 2027 and 2028; and
Whereas, This program, as well as the continued progress in space exploration and innovation, marks a significant time in U.S. and world history, and carries significant implications for education, workforce development, and economic opportunity at the local level; and
Whereas, New York City (“NYC”) is a global hub for talent and innovation, and thus, has an opportunity to better prepare its students and workforce for careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (“STEM”), and there remains room to improve STEM education access, career pathways, and coordination between educational institutions and emerging industries; and
Whereas, According to Tech:NYC’s New York Tech Ecosystem Snapshot (“Snapshot”), which compiles information from a number of sources about recent industry datapoints and other resources, as of May 2025, there were 203,819 jobs in NYC’s technology sector, up from 161,447 in 2019, with jobs in the technology sector accounting for 14 percent of all employment growth citywide over the past decade; and
Whereas, The Snapshot also shows that NYC’s STEM employment has grown by about 130,000 jobs (67 percent) over the past decade, as of January 2024, which is higher than the overall private-sector growth rate (14 percent) and the growth rate for STEM employment nationally (32 percent); and
Whereas, According to an August 2025 report by the Center for an Urban Future (“CUF”) entitled “Closing New York State’s Computing Education Gaps,” although New York State’s (“NYS” or “State”) technology sector has grown 32 percent in the past decade, nearly 5 times faster than the overall economy, the State is lagging behind in policies and investments to ensure that New Yorkers are prepared with the foundational digital and computational skills needed to succeed in this sector; and
Whereas, The CUF report notes that NYS is lagging behind other states in access to computer science in public schools, ranking thirty-seventh among all other states and Washington, D.C., with only 52 percent of public high schools offering at least a foundational computer science course; and
Whereas, In addition, an October 2025 CUF report entitled “Preparing Every NYC Student for an AI-Powered Future” reported that NYC’s Computer Science for All Initiative increased the share of students in public schools enrolled in computer science classes from 54,177 (5.5 percent) in 2016 to 193,171 (20 percent) in 2024, however, most students in NYC public schools still do not enroll in computer science classes, with no school district having more than 47 percent of its students enrolled in computer science; and
Whereas, As the world increasingly becomes more centered on technology, it is important to acknowledge the importance of American leadership in STEM-related fields, and NYC and NYS should work to assist its students and workforce by expanding STEM education and access to STEM-related careers; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York commends the United States’ National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Artemis program, and calls on the New York City Department of Education and the City University of New York to expand STEM education and to promote careers in advanced technology industries.
KK
LS #23046
5/6/26