Coalition Supports Sen. Merkley’s STEM College and Career Ready Budget Amendment
To All Senate Offices:
On behalf of the STEM Education Coalition, I urge you to support the Merkley Amendment to the Senate Budget Resolution to “create a reserve fund to expand, enhance, or otherwise improve science, technology, engineering, math, and career and technical education.” The amendment language and a summary are attached to this message.
The central mission our Coalition is to inform federal and state policymakers on the critical role that STEM education plays in U.S. competitiveness and future economic prosperity and to advocate for policies that will improve STEM education at every level.
STEM education must be elevated as a national priority as reflected through education reforms, policies to drive innovation, and federal and state spending priorities. STEM education is also closely linked with our nation’s economic prosperity in the modern global economy; strong STEM skills are a central element of a well-rounded education and essential to effective citizenship. Our nation must expand the capacity and diversity of the STEM workforce pipeline to prepare more students for the best jobs of the future that will keep the U.S. innovative, secure and competitive.
Why is STEM Education a National Priority?
Council on Foreign Relations: “60 percent of U.S. employers are having difficulties finding qualified workers to fill vacancies at their companies.”
Change the Equation: “In the current overall employment market, unemployed people outnumber job postings 3.6 to one. In the STEM occupations, job postings outnumbered unemployed people by 1.9 to one.”
National Governors Association Center for Best Practices: “At all levels of educational attainment, STEM job holders earn 11 percent higher wages compared with their same-degree counterparts in other jobs.”
Georgetown Center for Education and the Workforce: “47 percent of Bachelor’s degrees in STEM occupations earn more than PhDs in non-STEM occupations.”
Attached are further facts and statistics outlining the case for STEM education, good jobs, and U.S. competitiveness.
Thank you for your consideration.
Respectfully,
James Brown
Executive Director
STEM Education Coalition
