Tech firms call on Congress to approve $1.9B in STEM ed funds

Fifty prominent chip companies and education institutions sent a letter Thursday urging Congress to fully fund STEM workforce and education provisions contained in the CHIPS and Science Act signed into law earlier this year.

The letter, signed by Intel, AMD, Qualcomm, Micron, Texas Instruments, Analog Devices and others as well as the Semiconductor Industry Association, supports full funding of National Science Foundation STEM programs for fiscal 2023 at a previously authorized total of $1.93 billion.That $1.93 billion is roughly a $700 million increase over current appropriations proposals.

Those programs include $620 million for creation of an education directorate to support STEM programs in K-12 and other education settings. Also, a total of $416 million is authorized for graduate research fellowship programs for students earning advanced STEM degrees.

The CHIPS and Science Act, signed by President Biden on Aug. 9, included a five-year authorization for NSF totaling $81 billion for STEM education programs.

“There has never been a time in American public education when learning the application of skills in science, mathematics, and technology are as critical as they are today in ensuring our ability to sustain global leadership in innovation as well as our collective futures, “the letter says.

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The signatories noted “considerable and sustained shortages of STEMS workers to meet the demands of the labor market” for that last decade and noted problems in the US education system that “will continue to further complicate this labor supply-demand mismatch.”

They cited a 2021 National Academies review noting that only 22% of American high school graduates are proficient in science and 69% of elementary teachers saying they are not well prepared to teach science. Average math scores have also fallen in recent years, they said.

The letter was sent to appropriations leadership in both the Senate and House, including the two chairs:  Sen. Patty Murray, D-Washington, and US Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Connecticut.

Congress has until Dec. 16 to enact a final FY 23 spending bill and pass another continuing resolution to keep the federal government funded.