At the beginning of the year, we shared a breakdown of Governor Gavin Newsom’s 2022 budget proposal and what it could mean for technology-related education, including computer science (CS).
Now that the FY 2022-23 budget has officially been approved, we’re back with an exciting update. The finalized budget specifically allocates $16,750,000 to computer science across our state, and consequently will enable a significant increase in access to CS among Californians.
Whether you’re a parent working to expand CS programs in your child’s school, an educator integrating CS into other subjects, or an industry leader paving the way for more equitable CS pathways, we hope you join us in celebrating our state’s CS victories that have been made possible with your continued support.
Read on for this year’s budget victories for computer science and what exactly they’ll mean for CS education. And, while we’ve made progress towards equity in access to CS education in California, there’s still more work to do. That’s why we also explore the measures we believe we must keep fighting for below.
CSforCA is proud that the 2022-23 budget makes significant progress in supporting equitable CS education in our state by funding:
Despite these victories, we still have work to do. California is home to the world’s leading technology firms but ranks 35th in the nation for states offering at least one high school CS course. Only 5% of California high schoolers take computer science, and students of color, girls, and students in low-income and rural communities are even less likely to have access to high-quality computer science education as their peers.
That’s why we are committed to working with the Governor and legislature to ensure that every student has access to a high-quality education that teaches problem solving and critical thinking – foundational skills taught in every computer science course. You can count on the CSforCA coalition to continue advocating for increasing state funding to prepare more educators in California to teach CS, creating new pipelines of diverse teachers to become certified to teach CS, and implementing equitable CS in every school across California.
We hope you continue to stand with us in the ongoing journey — because, together, we will continue to make the biggest strides and make offering CS to all students by 2025 a reality.
| Bill | What It Means for CS | CSforCA's Role |
|---|---|---|
| AB178 | This bill allocates $250k to continue to support the role of the CS Statewide Coordinator, charged with implementing the California Computer Science Strategic Implementation Plan | Several years ago, CSforCA advocated for the CS Statewide Coordinator position, along with the Strategic Plan, which guides equitable CS implementation across the State. |
| Bill | What It Means for CS | CSforCA's Role |
|---|---|---|
| CS Subject Matter Project | Of the funds appropriated in this item, $1.5M will be available on a one-time basis to support a UC Subject Matter Project on Computer Science. | CSforCA looks forward to working with the newly created Computer Science Project and collaborating with the other Subject Matter Projects to explore innovative ways to integrate CS into other subjects like math, science, and social studies. |
| AB/SB 181 (Education Omnibus Trailer Bill) | Section 125: $15M for computer science professional development. A competitive grant for IHEs or nonprofits with expertise in developing and providing PL to teachers and paraprofessionals in public schools and grades 1-12, inclusive, too, in partnership with COE or consortium of COEs. | This funding builds on the successful implementation of the Educator Workforce Investment Grant: Computer Science. UCLA was awarded the grant in collaboration with Californians A Dedicated to Education Foundation and Sacramento County Office of Education to build capacity of CS Champions across the statewide System of Support to offer a model of professional learning for teachers, counselors, and administrators called Seasons of CS. Learn more about EWIG funding and Seasons of CS here. |
| AB/SB 181 (Education Omnibus Trailer Bill) | Section 18: $1.5B Educator Effectiveness Block Grants on a formula basis. The intent is to increase educator support for high-need-instruction areas including; English language instruction, inclusive special education, early childhood education, and STEM, including but not limited to, computer science. | These block grants are opportunities to fund support for educators in CS. Although we have limited information at this time, CSforCA will help identify ways to access these funds in the future. Please subscribe to CSforCA to learn more and receive updates as they become available. |
| AB/SB 181 (Education Omnibus Trailer Bill) | Section 50: 5 competitive grants of up to $500K to IHEs for educator prep prioritizing applications that produce teachers in designated shortage fields of special education, bilingual education, science, health, computer science, technology, engineering, mathematics, transitional kindergarten or kindergarten. | The CA Computer Science Strategic Implementation Plan and CSforCA have long recommended that schools of education be incentivized to develop teacher preparation programs that incorporate CS into education programs. Please view a list of schools of education that offer the CS Supplementary Authorization. |
| Bill | What It Means for CS | CSforCA's Role |
|---|---|---|
| AB/SB 181 (Education Omnibus Trailer Bill) | Section 88 & Section 120: $500 Million: Golden State Pathways Program Act focuses on creating pathways to high-wage, high-skill, high-growth areas, in tech, health care, education, and climate-related fields. Prioritizes “high-priority local education agencies (LEAs)” (higher than average at-risk students). Funds available until June 30, 2029. | CSforCA will continue to monitor these funds to identify potential ways to leverage them for CS pathways. |
| Bill | What It Means for CS | CSforCA's Role |
|---|---|---|
| AB/SB 181 (Education Omnibus Trailer Bill) | Section 122: $85M to county offices of education (COEs) for professional development and family engagement in math and science aligned with NGSS, California Common Core Standards: Mathematics, the California Computer Science Standards, and the mathematics and science domains of the California Preschool Learning Foundations. The Fresno County COE is overseeing this program. Of the $85M, $35M will focus on grades Pre-K-3 and $50M will focus on grades 4-12. | These are additional opportunities for local education agencies (LEAs) to reach out to families and community partners in support of CS education. CSforCA is expanding our work to engage more families to advocate for and support students in computer science. We will keep you posted on future opportunities. |
