Steven Stafstrom

The $115 million financing for the construction of a new Bassick High School is moving forward. I’m very happy to report that today my colleagues and I in the House of Representatives gave final approval to legislation authorizing $90.8 million in state bond funding – about 80 percent of the total project cost.

The funding for Bassick is part of a state package for financing a limited number of school projects across Connecticut deemed priorities by the Lamont Administration.

When the Bassick project is completed the nearly century-old school will be transformed into a new school and with a new focus on an Advanced Manufacturing curriculum. As you know, this project has been a priority of mine as we attempt to allow Bridgeport to tap its roots as an industrial powerhouse and help fill some of the 15,000 advanced manufacturing jobs in our state that remain vacant.

The project can help drive our local economy for decades by providing more educational opportunities, creating a manufacturing pipeline and enabling a brighter future for our students.