[wnewton00]

This bill was written to support any STEM team competition program. While it was an FRC team that did this, when the students did their presentations, proposals and sample budgets they submitted to the Governor's office and other officials they included many programs including all levels of FIRST, CyberPatriot as well as other STEM initiatives. They understand completely how FRC may not be feasible for all schools depending on other resources. And ideally the best place is to get programs in the elementary schools. Research has shown that the sooner children are exposed to STEM initiatives the more likely they are to be inspired to choose a STEM education and career path.
This could easily facilitate the start of many FLL teams, JSS, Cyberpatriot, etc. It also could allow that rural high school the chance to start an FRC team and build that 120 pound robot from scratch. We have high schools that are 97% free and reduced lunch. These kids do not have these opportunities right now. These funds are there to give this opportunity to students that might not have had the chance to experience what many of us here on CD has.
With that being said, the VA FRC members on here are undoubtedly going to be excited about the prospect of more FRC teams in our state. If a school wants to do FRC and this fund makes it possible then why would we not be happy for them?

**The main goal for SB17 was to get STEM labs and equipment into schools that do not have them using money provided by STEM companies and groups. Again think of those schools with 97% free and reduced lunch. That bill did not exclude competition teams but did have a much broader range and would have relied on a different source of funding. We have more work to do in order to get that one through. While it made it sailed through the Senate and then House Committees, it was tabled in appropriations.