New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg called on business leaders to invest their time, ideas and dollars in the Yonkers school system at an education summit Tuesday.

Bloomberg joined Yonkers Mayor Phil Amicone, parents, educators, government officials and community leaders at the first-ever summit sponsored by Yonkers Partners in Education. The district faces some of the same challenges as New York City, but Bloomberg said business leaders can be part of the solution and reap the rewards.

?When businesses decide about where to locate, where to expand, the quality of the schools is one of the factors they consider,? said Bloomberg.

Bloomberg then headed over to the Yonkers Riverfront Library to address other members of the community, including teens that have made some of the greatest advances on SAT scores. The Yonkers Partners in Education funded college prep courses for 300 students who might not have been able to afford them otherwise.

Yonkers School Superintendent Bernard Pierorazio hopes the summit will generate even more ideas. Yonkers Partners in Education will share the results of the summit with the community in March.