Gongwer News: Investment In Computer Science Education Urged

May 12, 2023

COLUMBUS - Technology and business groups, among others, are calling on the Senate to return at least some of the funding Gov. Mike DeWine proposed for computer science education to the state operating budget.

The House's deletion of $37 million from the Department of Higher Education's Computer Science line item was the most frequent topic of testimony at the Senate Workforce & Higher Education Track Committee's hearing on the spending outline (HB 33 Track) Thursday.

The number of witnesses whose testimony opposed to the House's budget change was noted by Chair Sen. Jerry Cirino (R-Kirtland).

"I think we're getting the message on computer science this morning," he said.

Sen. Cirino said in his view the House "gutted" computer science initiatives in the budget, adding: "I'm not sure why that was."

Witnesses advocated for the return of at least $24 million in funding split evenly among:

• Teach Computer Science Grants to provide professional development for teachers.

• The Computer Science Promise to give more students access to courses.

• The Computer Science Council to support after school and summer programs, among other initiatives.

"You may ask, why is this needed? Simply put, supporting computer science education today will help Ohio fill the in-demand jobs of tomorrow," said Codeye Woody, director of state government affairs for Code.org.

Mr. Woody said his testimony was offered on behalf of a 45-member coalition ranging from business groups and major employers like Google and Meta to schools like Case Western Reserve University and Lorain County Community College.

The executive budget proposed establishing the Computer Science Promise Program to allow students in grades 7-12 to enroll tuition-free in one computer science course not provided by the student's school each year and allocated $18.5 million per year for the initiative.

The House-passed version of HB33 left much of the enacting language in place but nixed the appropriation and provisions regarding reimbursements for approved providers of computer science education.

Chris Berry, president and CEO of OhioX, said restoration of some of that funding could help Ohio students keep pace with their peers in other states and countries.

"There are nearly 700,000 open computing jobs in the United States yet only 5% of high school students study computer science every year," he said. "Our students, especially those from underrepresented backgrounds, are at risk of falling behind in an increasingly complex digital economy without computer science education."

John Dutton, president of the Computer Science Teachers Association of Ohio, supported the $8 million in proposed funding for Teach CS grants.

"We need to expand computer science education and access, but in doing so, we also need to build our computer science teacher workforce," he said.

Sen. Andy Brenner (R-Delaware) said he worries students in the state are often "more computer literate than the teachers who are supposed to be teaching them."

Mr. Dutton said professional development is key. He suggested an educator could gain the skills needed to teach a computer science course in one year.

Asked how many hours such an effort would take, Mr. Dutton said that would depend on an individual educator's background.

Sen. Brenner questioned if such training would be available consistently throughout the state, including rural areas.

"That is the hope of the $8 million that is being proposed," Mr. Dutton said.

Chris Orban, a faculty member at Ohio State University, said less than 4% of high school students took a computer science course in 2017.

He asked the Senate to restore funding for computer science education and support efforts to integrate lessons on the field into math and other courses already available in the state.

Sen. Brenner said using math teachers to give instruction in computer science is an interesting idea but questioned if it is possible when the state already has a "massive remediation problem" regarding student achievement in math.

Zarek Drozda, director of Data Science 4 Everyone, also called for the return of computer science funding.

"Investing in computer science and data science education, as well as teacher training, will help ensure that Ohio students are prepared for high-demand careers in industries such as healthcare, finance, and technology," he said.

Amy Lore, who testified on behalf of Project Lead the Way, said the investment makes sense as part of the state's overall effort to grow its workforce.

"Supporting computer science education complements the other work you have done and are doing to make Ohio stronger," she said.

Sen. Cirino said there is "no argument" about the need for Ohio students to learn computer science and math skills. He questioned if more state money is the solution, arguing that local school boards have often "missed the mark" on teaching those subjects.

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