State Rep. Rosemary Brown, R-Scotrun, is pictured during a recent legislative debate.

Pennsylvania has thousands of open computer science jobs – and state Rep. Rosemary Brown wants to see the commonwealth’s school system provide employees to fill those jobs.

Brown, R-Scotrun, is circulating a co-sponsorship memorandum for a bill that would require the state Education Department to develop a plan to increase access to computer science in Pennsylvania schools to help fill what Brown sees as a gap in the state’s education policy.

“Computing and computer science has become a fundamental part of everyday life, commerce, and just about every occupation in our modern economy,” Brown wrote in her memorandum. “Data shows that exposure to computer science as part of a school curriculum leads to more students pursuing a career in computer science. Pennsylvania alone has on average over 15,000 open jobs in the computer science field every month. It is essential that students be exposed to the field of computer science in our K-12 educational system, as it is foundational in transforming the way a student thinks about the world. Computer science puts students on the path toward some of the highest paying, fastest growing jobs in America.”

​In January 2018 the state Board of Education endorsed the Computer Science Teachers Association’s K-12 standards. Those standards lay out skills that students should know by the end of certain grade levels – but they don’t require schools to offer computer science. The state Education Department’s website also says state officials expect there to be 590,000 new and replacement computer science jobs in Pennsylvania through 2026, with STEM jobs growing at more than 9%. Over the next ten years, state officials expect 71% of new jobs to require computer science skills.

Statistics on the state Education Department back up Brown’s claim about the number of open computing jobs in the state as well, with an average of 13,000 open computing jobs every month. The average salary for those jobs is $101,047.

Pennsylvania has nine STEM ecosystems that help create STEM learning opportunities and experiences – though none of those is close to Warren County. The closest are in Pittsburgh and in the center of the state, with most of the STEM ecosystems located near Harrisburg and Philadelphia.

Brown wants the Education Department’s plan to include social media security training, but the centerpiece is to beef up computer science courses in school districts around the state. She said 28 other states have developed statewide plans to increase access to computer science education. Brown wants Pennsylvania’s plan to be a roadmap to address policy and implementation issues to integrate computer science into school curriculums, including equitable access across school districts.

“Following the development and publishing of the plan, my legislation will ensure that every high school student in Pennsylvania has access to computer science as part of their school’s curriculum,” Brown wrote. “Every student is capable of learning and leading in computer science. If we believe that it is a foundational subject that every student would benefit from learning, then it has become increasingly clear that we cannot leave those opportunities to chance.”