Almost 40% of Ohio public high school students did not have access to computer science classes during the 2022-2023 academic year, a statistic that state lawmakers see as an addressable problem.
Identical bills not yet introduced in the Ohio House and Senate would make it mandatory for all public high school graduates to take a computer science course. Starting with the 2027-2028 school year, all public schools would be under mandate to offer at least one in-person computer science class or submit an alternative action plan to the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce.
Then, by 2032, students would not be able to graduate without completion of one computer science unit, Rep. Gayle Manning (R-North Ridgeville) said Thursday morning at a press conference.
The effort is backed by the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, tech hub OhioX, and national nonprofit Code.org.
“Ohio needs to remain future-focused,” said Rick Carfagna, a Chamber senior lobbyist and GOP former lawmaker. “That means that we have to change the narrative in our education system, that computer science is foundational rather than vocational.”
During the last two-year budget process, lawmakers earmarked $8 million to be used for the Teach CS Grant Program, which aims to add eligible computer science instructors to the state workforce via different licenses and programs.
Sen. Jerry Cirino (R-Kirtland) said while state lawmakers might consider further appropriations, the onus should be primarily on schools to shift priorities.
“They're going to have to figure out, with the resources they have, maybe with some additional augmentation from the state, they need to deliver—it's reading, writing, arithmetic and computer science, and the state might provide some assistance, but they need to provide what I call a baseline quality education,” Cirino said.
Access to computer science courses in Ohio is generally increasing, but disproportionately.
While 98% of large schools offered foundational courses two years ago, only 47% of small schools did, according to Code.org data. Rural and urban districts are also less likely to have computer science offerings than suburban districts.
Similar legislation stalled last year.
