Gov. Gary Herbert has tasked area tech leaders to create a state strategy to get computer science education into every Utah school, even rural ones. The governor has earmarked $3.9 million of his 2020 budget to achieve this goal.

A bill creating a fund to help recruit and retain more computer science college faculty in Virginia cleared its first legislative hurdle. But many say building a tech talent pipeline starts with the K12 education system. The state plans to spend $2.7 million to implement new K12 tech standards next year, and $25 million on tech initiatives over the next two decades.

A clear and concerning “skill gap” exists today, and it will only worsen with continued improvements in automation, robotics and artificial intelligence, among other technologies. Yet as careers grow ever more diverse, we remain almost singularly devoted to the four-year high school and four-year college preparation model as the pathway to an attractive career.

Los Angeles teachers are poised to end their strike after union leaders and LAUSD reached a tentative deal. It includes what amounts to a 6 percent raise for teachers, a reduction of class sizes over four years and the creation of 30 community schools.