State panel favors creating computer science, STEM job

A legislative panel Thursday signed off on the state Department of Education’s proposal to create a director of computer science/ chief STEM officer post with an annual salary between $96,960 and $140,592.

STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and math.

As the state Department of Education “continues to grow Governor [Asa] Hutchinson’s Computer Science Initiative, the new phase of this initiative combines computer science and STEM curriculum,” state Education Commissioner Johnny Key wrote in a memo presented Thursday to the Legislative Council’s personnel subcommittee.

“This position will coordinate and advance computer science and STEM initiatives as an integral component to [the department’s] vision of transforming Arkansas to lead the nation in student-focused education,” Key said in his memo.

Key said the person in the new position will report to Deputy Education Commissioner Ivy Pfeffer regarding the coding/computer science initiative and to Stacy Smith, assistant commissioner for learning services, regarding STEM. Anthony Owen is the state director of computer science education, and he reports to Pfeffer.

Upon the approval of the new position by the Legislative Council, the department plans to appoint Owen to the new position, department spokesman Kimberly Friedman said. The salary for the job will be the entry- level salary of $96,960 a year, she said. Owen’s current salary is $84,839 a year, according to the Arkansas Transparency website.

“The costs associated with the salary request for the director of computer science/ chief STEM officer will easily be absorbed into our current budget,” Key wrote in his memo.

The department proposed surrendering a vacant database specialist position and a vacant administrative specialist position in return for creating the new position, state Personnel Administrator Kay Barnhill wrote in a memo dated Thursday to the subcommittee.