By – Joel Crandall, MnTech president and CEO

For the past four years, MnTech has been working with its partners in the CSforAll-MN coalition to create expanded and equitable access to computer science education for K-12 students across Minnesota. The original call to action highlighted the embarrassing fact that Minnesota ranked LAST in the country (yes, 50th out of 50 states) in terms of the percentage of high schools offering foundational computer science coursework.

Our advocacy efforts began to pay dividends. In 2023, the Minnesota Legislature appropriated $500,000 per year for the 2024-25 biennium so that the MN Department of Education (MDE) could hire a full-time computer science education coordinator and create a statewide plan for expanded CS education, with an initial focus on licensure, teacher training, and curriculum. The plan was completed last year with actionable ideas in need of funding for implementation. And while not really cause to celebrate, we were also encouraged by the most recent release of Code.org’s State of Computer Science Education Report that showed Minnesota had moved up to 48th place in the rankings, with 36% of high schools now offering CS education. Progress, yes, but still well below the national average of 60%.

We entered the 2025 legislative session hopeful that this was the year CS education would finally get the attention it deserves in our state. Sadly, those hopes have not only been dashed – they’ve been crushed.

In the Governor’s revised K-12 education budget submitted ahead of Wednesday’s Senate Education Finance Committee hearing, computer science education was completely defunded. That’s right, zero dollars in support of computer science education and the full-time CS coordinator position at MDE eliminated. This is a change from the February budget proposal that kept funding at the $500K annual level which we considered a baseline investment. Removing that minimal funding threatens to bring all statewide efforts on computer science to a halt.

MnTech believes this decision to pull all CS funding to be extremely short-sighted and undermines Minnesota’s ability to prepare students for the technology-driven jobs that power our state’s economy.

Technology is at the heart of every industry – from healthcare to agriculture, manufacturing to financial services. Yet, Minnesota continues to lag behind in offering foundational computer science education. This isn’t just about teaching kids to code, it’s about equipping them with problem-solving, critical thinking, and digital literacy skills that are essential for success in the modern workforce. At a time when nearly every job is increasingly a tech job, we should be investing more—not less—in Minnesota’s pipeline of future talent.

On Wednesday, MnTech will be at the Senate Education Finance Committee hearing urging the committee to hold computer science funding steady for this biennium (just $1M within the $25.49 billion education budget) to fund a full-time Computer Science Supervisor position and school district support for the next two years. Only 6 states do not have such a position, and it is critical to have someone available as a resource for schools who can build community, raise awareness, and drive progress on the State Strategic Plan for Computer Science.

Here’s how you can help. Code.org has created this Voter Voice campaign where you can easily send a message to your House and Senate representatives by simply inputting your name and address. Please personalize if you wish or simply use the standard message provided. We thank you in advance for your voice and advocacy in support of this important investment in Minnesota’s future.