Gov. Butch Otter is calling for a $12 million investment in STEM education next year, science, technology, engineering and math. That includes $10 million in one-time funds for starting up new STEM programs, plus a $2 million ongoing appropriation for operating the state’s new STEM action center. The new programs, he said, include “a K-through-Career program in computer science to help meet the high demand for those workplace skills.”

“Ensuring that students are college and career ready is as critical to employers as it is to Idaho’s young people,” Otter told lawmakers. “I hear it every day from businesses large and small and in every industry sector.” The state also will seek matching donations for the project, the governor said.