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Chartiers Valley robotics team urges lawmakers to back after‑school STEM at national advocacy conference
Summary
Students from Chartiers Valley’s robotics team told the school board Aug. 14 they met lawmakers in Washington to press for funding and recognition of mentor‑based, after‑school STEM programs, cited local and national workforce gaps, and asked the district about updating budget labels and planned Title IV spending.
Student members of the Chartiers Valley robotics team described attending a National Advocacy Conference in Washington, D.C., and urged the board Aug. 14 to help promote mentor‑based, after‑school STEM programs to local and federal policymakers.
Student Jack Radzanowski said the team’s goal was to advocate for STEM education at higher levels of government and to spotlight the value of after‑school, mentor‑based programs that the district already runs. He noted the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) supports ‘‘well‑rounded, vigorous and personalized learning experiences’’ and asked the board to consider how the district will use Title IV, Part A funds. Radzanowski said the district is projected to receive about $20,000 next year under Title IV and asked administrators where that money might be allocated.
Clare Malone told the board there are workforce gaps the team cited at the conference: she said Pennsylvania currently has about 21,000 unfilled computer and software development positions and that nationally an estimated 2.4 million STEM jobs go unfilled in the year reported to the conference. She said the team had discussed outreach strategies and encouraged the district to update its budget language, noting a lingering reference to No Child Left Behind in district budget materials.
‘‘We met with Conor Lamb and he was very excited to be invited to come see our school and our engineering program,’’ Malone said, quoting Lamb as telling the students, ‘‘He wants to play with some robots.’’
Dr. Johannah Vanatta introduced the students and said the board appreciated their advocacy and would support their outreach. Board President Tony Mazzarini asked the students to notify Dr. Vanatta if any elected officials signaled interest so the district could follow up from its end.
The presentation highlighted the team’s dual aims of expanding student access to STEM programming and encouraging district officials to ensure budget labels and plans reflect current federal programs and potential funding. The students provided photos from the conference and described meetings with other teams and legislators.
