Gov. Parson signs STEM education bill

Mike Parson

During Missouri legislature’s special session yesterday, Gov. Mike Parson signed into law a bill addressing STEM education improvements, according to a news release from the governor’s office.

In the science, technology, engineering and math education arena, House Bill 3 centers on computer science by expanding course opportunities for high school students, creating a certification process for teachers, establishing a fund for any future public and private financial support, and developing curriculum standards.

“Improving our workforce is a top priority with this administration, and in order to help move Missouri forward, we need to expand opportunities for our students,” Parson said in the release. “Missouri currently has a high demand in this field, and by signing this bill, our students will be able to get the proper training to succeed in computing jobs.”

The bill was sent to the governor last month, along with House Bill 2, which Parson signed into law last week. House Bill 2 expanded treatment courts, according to the release.

The STEM bill was sponsored by Rep. Travis Fitzwater, R-Holts Summit, and handled in the Senate by Sen. Doug Libla, R-Popular Bluff.

“Today, many computer science jobs go unfilled because not enough high school students have been trained for the jobs,” Libla said in the release. “By improving computer science education in the state, we can better prepare our students for the many companies that desire and depend on these skills.”

Other recent action from Parson includes appointing former Republican Rep. Don Phillips to the state’s Board of Probation and Parole earlier this month. Phillips, who had termed out representing Stone County and parts of Christian and Taney counties, joins the board tasked with granting the clemency of prisoners via parole or conditional release, as well as providing information to the governor on pardons, commutations of sentence, reprieves or restorations of citizenship.