S.F. No. 4259 - Computer Science Education Advancement Program

• Department of Education shall develop and implement coordinated high-quality computer science educator training and teacher recruitment programs aligned to the state strategic plan, either directly or through grants to local education agencies, higher education institutions, nonprofits, and private entities.

• Eligible funding uses include professional learning for K-12 computer science teachers at no cost to educators, travel expenses, credentialing programs, mentoring and coaching, resource creation and promotion, curriculum development, and personnel employment to oversee the statewide initiative.

• Department shall implement a competitive grant program for eligible entities to fund high-quality computer science education programs designed to increase enrollment of underrepresented groups, with administration and promotion costs capped at 20 percent and 15 percent respectively of total grant awards.

• Grant recipients and training program participants must submit annual reports to the Department of Education detailing number of teachers and students trained, schools served, and demographic breakdowns by gender, race, ethnicity, free and reduced-price lunch status, disability status, and English language learner status.

• Appropriates $4,000,000 for fiscal year 2025 for computer science education advancement, $4,000,000 for grants furthering computer science programs, and $50,000 one-time for establishing computer science licensure; establishes $4,000,000 base appropriation for fiscal years 2026 and later.