Eyeing jobs potential, KC Tech Council celebrates MO governor’s signing of STEM education bill
November 1, 2018 | Austin Barnes
Support for STEM and the Missouri tech space is uploading in Jefferson City, Ryan Weber said in light of successful legislation that will reformat the way high school students benefit from technology courses.
A bill increasing access to computer science courses — which gained a second life during a special session in September after previously being vetoed — was signed into law Tuesday. It allows such classes to fulfill math and science requirements in Missouri high schools.
“When this legislation was vetoed in May, we were concerned about the message it would send to tech employers,” said Weber, KC Tech Council president and an advocate for the bill.
Missouri school districts will adhere to the law during the 2019-2020 school year, he added.
Previously vetoed by Gov. Mike Parson, the bill was originally considered to favor a specific education provider when introduced by state Sens. Doug Libla and Travis Fitzwater in January. Parson urged lawmakers to return to the drawing board, acknowledging the bills relevancy, Weber said.
“Gov. Parson has conducted a statewide campaign supporting the need for a skilled workforce in Missouri,” Weber said. “His leadership on this issue has been overwhelming and cannot be understated.”
Passage of the bill falls in line with the governor’s prioritization of STEM education, he added.
A hurdle jumped, STEM proponents must not rest, Weber urged.
“Soon the state will have to consider how to properly fund computer science education and professional development for teachers,” he said of ways the tech community will need to continue their role as advocate.
Legislation like the newly passed bill further promotes efforts to build a broader tech-skilled workforce in Kansas City, Weber said, citing statistics that revealed weak spots in the metro.
According to reports, there are more than 10,000 vacant computing jobs in Kansas City with less than 2,000 tech skilled workers to fill them, he said.
Missouri this week became the 41st state to pass such STEM legislation, Weber said, signaling a clear commitment to building a broader tech skilled workforce.
2018 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
iWerx Gladstone to expand Northland coworking, incubator options in former racquetball club
Two years after launching its sprawling flagship site in North Kansas City, a premiere coworking community is expected to debut iWerx Gladstone in late fall. The two-story, 32,000-square-foot space — originally built as a racquetball club and renovated into a traditional office building in the mid 1980s — will be home to about 80 offices,…
STL exit: Welltodo founder credits firm’s acquisition to early support from KC startup community
With the final deal still in the works Friday, Chris Cardinal said the acquisition of St. Louis-based Welltodo by SensorRX wouldn’t have been possible without the pre-seed rallying of his fellow entrepreneurs in Kansas City. Though the company moved across the state in 2016 to be closer to the co-founder’s in-laws, Cardinal said, the foundation for…
Simplifying access: PayIt teams with KCK Unified Government for enhanced myWyco app
Interacting with state and local government can and should be seamless, said Monica Harrell of PayIt, a KC tech firm that partnered its statewide iKan app with Wyandotte County’s myWyco app to create enhanced access for residents. “It’s a more streamlined experience,” said Harrell, senior client manager for Payit, “Especially because residents are not usually…
LaunchCode partners like VML turn apprentices into professional programmers
Tech fields provide a never-ending learning experience, said Mohammad Rasoulipour, a creative technologist at VML. With a background in design, Rasoulipour turned to LaunchCode to get a leg up in the web design world, try something new — and land a job a premier marketing and advertising firm like VML. LaunchCode, a free tech training program,…