NEWARK – Citing the growing technology industry, a local parent encouraged school system officials to expand the availability of computer classes available to students.
During Tuesday’s meeting of the Worcester County Board of Education, parent Trisha Kaufman approached the board with concerns regarding the lack of computer programming courses available to Worcester County students.
“There really is a gap in these types of courses,” Kaufman said.
She told the school board that she worked as the director of web applications for the University of Maryland and that her son, who attended Stephen Decatur High School, was also interested in pursuing a career in technology.
“It is a very competitive field and it’s one that’s in high demand,” she said.
Nevertheless Kaufman says there are few such classes offered by Worcester County’s public schools. She says when she asked school level leaders about it, they told her it was difficult to find teachers for such courses.
“One of the problems they’re having in offering those type of classes is finding people that have an IT background but are willing to take a teacher’s salary,” she said.
“I do understand but I also feel it’s important that the board and the schools try to do as much as they can to offer these technical types of classes that students that want to pursue a computer programming path can take.
Kaufman added that she’s submitted a list of suggested courses and an outline of what they could include to the school board last year. Superintendent Lou Taylor asked her to send him the list.
“I’ll make sure the right people get that and we’ll look into that,” he said.
School board members thanked Kaufman for bringing the subject to their attention.
“We want to offer what kids need to succeed in these areas,” board member Doug Dryden said.
He asked Kaufman whether there might be opportunities for the school system to partner with local colleges to offer technology courses. She said that could be an option and pointed out that Salisbury University was in the process of expanding its IT program.
Kaufman said students would benefit if officials could find a way to expand course offerings.
“Having an opportunity to expose students to these types of courses at a high school level would prepare them and help them determine whether that’s something they’d want to pursue when they go to college,” she said.
