State Legislators Celebrate Next Step In Relocating Da Vinci High School

BUFFALO – Today, November 14, 2023, New York State Senator Sean Ryan and Assemblymember Jon Rivera celebrated the opening of the temporary home of Leonardo da Vinci High School at Public School 8 as the Buffalo City School District completes work on the school’s new permanent home.

Earlier this year, the legislators passed a bill (S.7443A/A.7663) allowing Buffalo Public Schools to relocate the high school to its future home on the SUNY Buffalo State University campus. The bill, which authorizes Buffalo State to lease Buckham Hall and surrounding land for the purpose of relocating da Vinci High School, passed the Senate and Assembly in June and was signed into law by Governor Hochul in late October.

The high school, previously located on the D’Youville University campus, will temporarily operate out of the PS 8 location at East Utica Street and Masten Avenue while Buckham Hall is renovated to accommodate its arrival. The permanent location at Buffalo State will allow the school to continue to offer pupils access to college level courses and a campus-based experience, and will create opportunities for partnership and enrichment between the Buffalo City School District and Buffalo State University.

Senator Sean Ryan said, “Relocating da Vinci High School to the Buffalo State campus is going to create a symbiotic relationship that will strengthen both institutions. Da Vinci has an exemplary history of preparing students for higher education, and this new partnership affords its students access to a whole new range of educational and cultural resources.”

Assemblymember Jon D. Rivera said, “For four decades, Leonardo da Vinci High School and its student population have greatly benefitted from a unique college prep structure in which high school students can take college courses and experience life on a college campus. I’m proud to have carried this bill across the finish line in the Assembly, with Sen. Sean Ryan carrying it in the Senate, to ensure that structure continues by enabling the Buffalo Public Schools to relocate the high school to its future home on the SUNY Buffalo State campus. Leonardo da Vinci has earned its Blue Ribbon recognition and 100% graduation rate last year, and the new on-site partnership with SUNY Buffalo State will allow its students access to the university’s renowned cultural resources that include the Burchfield Penney Art Gallery, Whitworth Ferguson Planetarium and Ciminelli Recital Hall.”