[Rick TYler]

Originally Posted by JaneYoung

I don't think that is just in Texas, Rick. Have any other states come forward with this type of money in support of strengthening and supporting the goal of STEM involvement for youth? Do any other states have this many options available to them? I'm not being sarcastic, I'm asking sincerely.

Washington has a grant program for public high schools which was previously restricted to FIRST teams and is now part of a larger pool of funds for general STEM projects, which can include other robotics programs. This funding combined with corporate sponsorships -- notably from Boeing -- and a deeply committed volunteer base has grown high school youth robotics in the state from a dozen FRC teams in 2005 to more than 100 FRC, FTC and VRC teams today. As the state feels budget pressure, no one is sure how much of this funding the legislature is going to be able to preserve, so sustainability is becoming a bigger topic. Quite a number of schools are adding VEX to their tech education programs in the classroom, and are starting to add after-school VRC programs to go with it. Several FRC programs also field FTC and VRC teams.