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Department says statewide Minecraft coding program funded with $600,000 UGF and other reallocated funds; senators question per‑seat cost and license utilization
Summary
DEED reported $600,000 UGF plus existing CTE funds and reallocated vacancy savings supported statewide Minecraft coding licenses in FY25; the department said contract pricing covers statewide seat capacity and that nearly 1,100 student seats have been used, prompting questions about per-student cost and future funding sources.
Kelly Manning and Jake Almeda described funding sources for the department's statewide "coding in Minecraft" program and responded to senators' questions about license pricing and usage.
Almeda told the subcommittee the department invested $600,000 UGF from a legislative allocation, used $187,900 from CTE UGF allocation, and tapped roughly $412,900 of general funds to support statewide implementation in FY25. Manning said some CTE grant funds that had been available as one-time district grants were reprioritized for the Minecraft effort because the program was already in use in many districts; remaining needs were covered from vacancy savings in the department's budget.
On pricing, Manning explained that the department purchased a statewide package that covers seats for all schools and that the vendor provided a discounted statewide price. "The pricing that we have for our Minecraft contract right now is for having seats for the entire state," she said, adding that the per-seat cost would rise if the state reduced the number of seats because current pricing reflects a statewide package and discount. Senators noted roughly 1,100 student licenses had been used and observed that the per-used-seat cost looks large when measured on a per‑student uptake basis; department staff said the state intentionally purchased statewide capacity to ensure all districts could participate.
Manning also told senators the department is recruiting a computer science content specialist to support districts' implementation and help expand computer science credential pathways. The position was later described in the hearing as converted to permanent in FY25 and will be tasked with helping districts with standards, curriculum crosswalks, credential pathways and policy guidance (including guidance on artificial intelligence).
Department officials said they will provide additional detailed breakout information on license counts, pricing, and the cost-per-seat calculation as the subcommittee requested. They also said continuing the program in FY26 will require identifying a funding source; the FY25 funding was a mix of a legislative allocation, CTE funds reprioritized, and vacancy savings.
