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. "A lot of our elementary schools don't have a process in place to implement computer science regularly. We want every student to have access, not just gifted students."

Tovey described district strategies to build a K–12 pipeline: teacher training for elementary teachers in block-based coding, expanding middle-school offerings, and leveraging robotics as an entry point that can sustain student interest from early grades through high school. CTAE (Career, Technical and Agricultural Education) and partners have grown robotics participation across four levels: second–fourth grade demonstrations, the FIRST LEGO League (elementary/middle), FIRST Tech Challenge (middle/high) and FIRST Robotics Competition (high school). She said the district now supports 64 robotics teams and expects more local tournaments next year.

Tovey also described workforce ties, including a Chips for Chips regional camp and partnerships with Columbus State University, Georgia Tech and other colleges. She said the upcoming chip and semiconductor investments in the region create an opportunity to align K–12 training with industry needs. "It's about college, certifications and job-ready pathways," she said.

Board members pressed Tovey on immediate operational issues. Board member Kia Chambers asked whether current computer science teachers were working under strategic waivers; Tovey said some teachers were on waivers and that CTAE does not itself allocate positions — those decisions rest with regional chiefs and principals. When asked how many current computer science teachers the district employed, Tovey responded that 16 teachers serve the district now and estimated the need would be at least 21 to meet future requirements.

Tovey and board members also discussed enrollment gaps: she said only seven of nine high schools and nine of 13 middle schools currently offer computer science programming; several elementary schools have participated in Boot Up (nine in FY24) with six schools remaining to be trained. She described scheduling and staffing as ongoing constraints and urged early planning so the district can recruit industry-experienced teachers and scale programs before state requirements take effect.

The presentation included program details and timelines but the transcript records no formal board vote on new positions or funding during the session. Board members and staff agreed to continue planning with CTAE, HR and curriculum divisions to develop a staffing and implementation strategy.

Tovey's full presentation to the board covered training, platforms used (Boot Up, Skillstruck, code.org, Tinkercad), district robotics growth and the Chips for Chips regional camp that will host 30 middle- and 30 high-school students. She asked the board for continued support as CTAE, the curriculum office and HR align on teacher recruitment, course placement and scheduling.

Looking ahead, Tovey said the district will continue to build partnerships with local colleges and industry to deliver camps, internships and certification opportunities tied to industry credentials and AP credits.