Lt. Governor Forest to Chair Special Committee on Computer Science, State Board of Education Chairman Eric Davis | Eastern North Carolina Now

News Release:

    Raleigh, NC     Today, State Board of Education Chairman Eric Davis announced that Lt. Governor Dan Forest will be chairing a newly created committee starting January 2019. Since 2014, Lt. Governor Forest has chaired the Special Committee on Digital Learning, which has overseen the implementation of our state's Digital Learning Plan (DLP), as well as connecting all of North Carolina's K-12 public and charter school classrooms to high-speed broadband three years ahead of schedule. North Carolina became the first state to accomplish this achievement in June.

    The new Special Committee of Digital Learning and Computer Science, will still oversee the implementation of the overall DLP, but will also oversee the plan for delivering high quality Computer Science Education to all over our public schools.

    "For years, we have been discussing the need to have true Computer Science Education taught in our schools," says Lt. Governor Dan Forest. "Now that we have every public-school classroom connected to highspeed broadband, and with our General Assembly investing half a million dollars in seed money for Computer Science in the last current budget, it is the time for our state to set a vision for Computer Science for our public education system, and I am honored to lead that charge at the State Board of Education."

    "We are always looking at ways we can better prepare our students for the demands of today, and Computer Science is one of those areas that we can and should tackle," says State Board Chairman Eric Davis. "I look forward to the work that this Special Committee will do, and I am hopeful that North Carolina will become a leader in Computer Science, just as we have become a leader in connectivity."

    "Computer Science has been and will remain one of my top priorities for the Department of Public Instruction," says State Superintendent Mark Johnson. "I am excited about the opportunity to work with the lieutenant governor to expand computer science education to all of our public-school students."

    The Lt. Governor will announce a steering committee for Computer Science Education after the January State Board of Education Board meeting.

    Contact: Jamey Falkenbury

         Jamey.Falkenbury@nc.gov