Muscogee County officials outline expansion of computer science and robotics as state requirements approach

At the Muscogee County School Board work session April 14 in Columbus, STEM and STEAM program manager Sheree Tovey outlined plans to expand computer science and robotics across the district, citing new statewide expectations and local workforce opportunities.

Tovey said Georgia laws passed since 2019 require expanded computer science instruction K–12 and that the district should prepare now for a change that will require computer science for graduation within roughly six years. She told board members the district currently has 105 students completing a computer science pathway this year and 16 computer science teachers across middle and high schools, and estimated the district will need about 21 qualified teachers to meet projected demand.

"We have successes and challenges," Tovey said, describing work at the elementary level with Boot Up and Amazon Future Engineer training, middle-school pilots using Skillstruck, and high-school pathways that include AP, cybersecurity, game design, programming and web development.…