As lawmakers have discussed whether Wyoming’s K-12 schools should teach computer science, they’ve looked at Powell for insight and answers.

“It’s pretty much known statewide that Powell’s school district is doing some amazing things with computer science,” said Sen. Ray Peterson, R-Cowley. “It’s been on their own, and it’s been ongoing.”

Computer science courses are taught as electives at Powell Middle School and Powell High School, where students also have an opportunity to participate in robotics teams.

At the elementary level, students have a chance to learn about robotics and many took part in the Hour of Code last month — a worldwide effort to teach kids about coding.

Powell is one of the only five school districts, out of 48 in Wyoming, teaching computer science classes.

Gov. Matt Mead cited that statistic during a talk in Casper this month, saying “we’ve got to do a better job” teaching computer science in Wyoming schools.

“In this day and age, it’s as important as math, English. Those things need to be taught, as does computer science,” Mead said.

A bill proposed by the Joint Education Interim Committee would add computer science and computational thinking to the state educational program while eliminating keyboarding.

The proposal — Senate File 29 — also would allow one year of computer science to count toward graduation and Hathaway scholarship requirements.

‘Definitely is the future’

Rep. David Northrup, R-Powell, said it’s important to introduce K-12 students to the world of computer science.

“If Wyoming is going to become, what we hope, a leader in the nation as far as education goes, then we need to stay current and stay in front of it,” said Northrup, co-chair of the Joint Education Committee. “How do you stay in front of the technological curve without doing these kinds of things?”

In a report earlier this month, the ENDOW Executive Council recommended the State Board of Education adopt K-12 computer science standards and add the subject to the “basket of goods” taught in Wyoming.

“There are 500,000 computing related job openings in the United States, but only 50,000 computer science graduates,” the ENDOW report reads. “It is projected that 1.1 million programming jobs will go unfilled up to 2022. These jobs are in every industry and every state and are projected to grow at twice the rate of other jobs.”

If approved, Senate File 29 would require every K-12 student to learn about computer science and computational thinking. Those lessons could be embedded within another class, similar to how health standards can be embedded into a P.E. class, said Park County School District No. 1 Superintendent Jay Curtis.

Curtis said it’s his understanding that lessons like the Hour of Code would count toward the requirement.

If legislators required all students to take a computer science class, it would be difficult for school districts, Curtis said.

“Even as a model district, I would question our ability to provide that for every student,” Curtis said. “When you look at the number of teachers it would take to make sure that every student got a computer science class, it would be very difficult even for us — and I can’t imagine what that would look like in districts that don’t have any computer science teachers yet.”

He said it is important for students to at least be exposed to a certain level of computer science.

“It definitely is the future,” Curtis said.

However, he said Wyoming lawmakers need to figure out what they want students to know about computer science, as there’s a wide disparity in the definition.

“If you ask 10 people what computer science is ... you’d get at least eight or nine different answers,” Curtis said.

He hopes state leaders decide what they want students to know, and come up with rules and guidance for districts.

Concerns about funding

Lawmakers’ proposal to add computer science curriculum also comes at a time when school districts across Wyoming have faced significant budget cuts.

Sen. Hank Coe, R-Cody, who co-chairs the Joint Education Committee, said there are concerns about adding curriculum when “there’s so much pressure on the funding model.”

Facing a budget shortfall of millions of dollars, legislators hired a consulting firm to re-evaluate the funding model under a process known as recalibration. The Wyoming Legislature will take up the issue during the Budget Session beginning Feb. 12.

During a meeting with legislators earlier this month, Powell school board chairman Greg Borcher said computer science education is wonderful and needed in schools.

“But don’t make it mandatory without finding the funding for it, because small districts could not absorb that. ... A lot of districts could not do that,” Borcher said.

Sen. Peterson said there’s still a long way to go, and noted the overlying concern of funding.

“If we’re going to push computer science statewide, the concern is, how are the small schools going to do this?” Peterson asked.

He said sharing teachers and video conferencing have been discussed as options, but taking classes via video can be difficult for young students.

“Like the Supreme Court decision states, it has to be equal education for everybody, no matter where you’re at,” Peterson said. “And that’s the challenge.”

Peterson said he was impressed with what Park County School District No. 1 has done for computer science education, and said there will continue to be many future job opportunities in technology.

“We all know it’s headed in that direction — I mean, everything,” Peterson said. 

In recent months, school districts from around the state have reached out to Powell, asking about its computer science classes, Curtis said.

“Powell’s leading the charge,” Northrup said. “Everyone looks to Powell to see what’s going on. There are other districts that are doing things, but not like we are.”

Local legislators said that, while they want to see more schools teach computer science, they know it will take some time.

“It’s going to take schools a while to catch up to where Powell’s at right now,” Peterson said.

Curtis said Powell’s computer science courses and robotics programs are years in the making.

“It didn’t happen overnight,” he said.

Powell High School students Rhett Pimentel, Hattie Pimentel and Alan Merritt presented to the Legislature’s Joint Education Committee last fall about the value of computer science classes.

“A lot of people think of computer science as these nerdy engineers who type away at the computer all day, and maybe to some extent, but that’s not what I think of when I think of computer science,” Rhett Pimentel, a PHS senior, told the committee.

“I like to think of computer science as a way of thinking — computational thought is just a way of breaking down problems and thinking about things,” he said.

In addition to computer science classes at PHS, Rhett Pimentel also has studied the subject at Northwest College. As part of his college coursework, he created an app to help his dad with cattle inventory. The app keeps track of cows, calves, tag numbers, vaccine dates, weights and other details. His dad used to write everything down on yellow paper tablets.

“I thought it could be easier if he could use some sort of app,” Rhett Pimentel said.

Merritt, a junior at PHS, talked about an app he made to help with Spanish homework; he also has worked on a program for his grandpa to help with his taxes.

Merritt told legislators he’s learned how to make apps that can really benefit someone’s life.

PHS senior Hattie Pimentel said she has used lessons from computer science in other classes, such as calculus.

“Computer science requires both creativity and logic, and I think those are really valuable things to teach, besides just computer science,” she said.

Hattie Pimentel told legislators that those skills are valuable for students, even if they don’t pursue jobs in computer science.

“We’re surrounded by technology, so I think we should have enough computer science education to at least not be afraid of it,” she said.

Legislators on the education committee commended the PHS students and thanked them for sharing their insight and passion.

The students also spoke to the Select Committee on School Finance Recalibration, along with PHS computer science teacher Joel Hayano and Zac Opps, who teaches computer science at Powell Middle School.

Sen. Hank Coe, R-Cody, a chairman of the committee, said lawmakers had “wonderful, wonderful testimony” from the Powell students and teachers.

“I can tell you there’s a lot of interest, a lot of support for pursuing [computer science education] in the Legislature,” Coe said, adding, “our group came away excited about it.”