Assembly committee advances bill to require all California high schools to offer computer science

Assemblymember Berman urged the Assembly Education Committee to pass AB 887, a measure that would require every California public high school to adopt a plan to offer at least one computer science course by the 2029—.20 30 school year. Berman said the requirement is a phased approach with flexibility for districts and charter schools and argued the state is falling behind other states in ensuring access to computer science.

The bill's sponsor emphasized workforce and equity reasons for the measure. "California is the birthplace of technology," Assemblymember Berman said. "Far too many students grow up in the shadows of tech companies, yet do not have the opportunity to learn the skills that they would need to maybe one day work at those tech companies in their own communities." He asked the committee for an I vote.

A high school teacher, Sandra James of Antelope High School, testified in support, describing how computer science coursework benefits students across pathways and communities and how classroom projects translate into cross-disciplinary collaborations. "We wouldn't let kids graduate without math and science. Why should we let them graduate without having some understanding of computers and technology?" James said.

A student witness, Suikriti Ratnam, a junior at Carlmont High School and director of policy at the National AI Youth Council, told the committee that computer science classes are highly sought after and that broader access would improve preparedness for jobs in California. "This bill will provide all students the integral opportunity to build important skills and job preparedness through computer science classes," Ratnam said.

The Association of California School Administrators and other representatives raised concerns about the shortage of qualified computer science teachers and implementation burdens on local administrators. Diana Vu of the Association of Counselors and Administrators warned the committee that simply adding requirements without first resolving teacher recruitment and credentialing could place districts under strain and requested exemptions for LEAs that cannot demonstrate they can secure qualified staff.

Cindy Kazanis of the California Department of Education told the committee the department is catching up on delayed data releases and that course enrollment data currently available go only through the 2018—2019 school year; she said staff demographic data would be released first, followed by course enrollment figures. "We are doing our best to catch up to that. Apologize for the delay," Kazanis said. She affirmed the department——s commitment to provide reliable, high-quality data as soon as possible.

Committee members pressed the author about recruitment pathways and existing investments. Berman listed recent state investments intended to expand the educator pipeline, including professional learning grants and incentive funding, and referenced AB 1251 (Luce Rivas), which convenes a Commission on Teacher Credentialing work group on computer science credentialing. The committee discussed incentives to recruit industry professionals into teaching residencies and existing programs such as UCLA's STEM+ C teacher residency that offer routes to authorization.

After questions and discussion the committee established a quorum and voted to pass AB 887 to appropriations. The clerk recorded that the bill received six affirmative votes.

The measure now goes to the Assembly Appropriations Committee for fiscal review and possible amendments. Implementation questions remain: the department must publish updated enrollment data and districts will need time and guidance to develop compliant plans under the bill——s phased timeline.