The Bakersfield Californian – LAUREN FOREMAN
“Just two years ago, Brookings Institution ranked metro Bakersfield fourth in the nation for the number of technical jobs available in fields such as computer technology, engineering, science and math. Now (and then, too) analysts and industry leaders, locally and nationally, worry demand for highly skilled workers in science, technology, engineering and math fields, known as STEM, will far outpace supply. Local school district and industry response has been to funnel more money to STEM programs. The money’s adding up. The Bakersfield City School District budgeted more than $1.4 million in STEM programming from 2014 to 2016, according to data from BCSD Director of School Support Warren Ramay. Most of it is regular state funding that public districts receive to run schools, but private donations from Chevron account for 22 percent.”(more)