LAS VEGAS –Governor Steve Sisolak announced today that Tesla will invest $1 million to support Nevada’s computer science education initiatives as part of the company’s statewide education investment.

“Nevada is proud to have Tesla doing business in the state and fulfilling its commitment to the community by promoting STEM education,” Governor Sisolak said. “Our students are our most valuable asset, and I commend Tesla for playing a key role in investing in the next generation of workers and leaders in our state.”

The Governor made the announcement today in Las Vegas at CSEdCon, the international computer science education conference hosted by Code.org in partnership with the Computer Science Teachers’ Association (CSTA), CSforAll, and Expanding Computer Education Pathways (ECEP). The global conference is the first of its kind and saw more than 500 attendees convene around various tracks related to computer science education.

"We are thrilled to see Tesla's pledge to fund computer science education in Nevada for years to come," said Hadi Partovi, founder and CEO of Code.org. "Nevada is already a leader in implementing policies facilitating K-12 CS education, and this sustained support will give hundreds of thousands of Nevada students the opportunity to discover and learn this essential subject."

Tesla’s multi-year commitment to computer science education in Nevada will support the direct training of more than 3,900 teachers by Nevada’s Regional Professional Development Program, as well as statewide computer science summits each year, administrator training, toolkit developments, and more.

“This donation will go a long way in supporting Nevada’s goal of making sure that every student in every school throughout the state has equitable access to computer science education,” said Jhone Ebert, Superintendent of Public Instruction.

The Governor’s announcement was made in conjunction with the release of the 2019 State of CS Education report, which compares computer science education policy across all 50 states and identifies the policy changes that have happened in 33 states in the last year.

Nevada has adopted all nine model state policies for expanding computer science education, and in the 2018–2019 school year, 57% of Nevada high schools taught at least one computer science course. In 2019, Nevada adopted SB 313, which requires all teacher candidates in the Nevada System of Higher Education to receive appropriate education and training in computer science. The legislation also allocates $933,000 and $700,000 for computer science education in FY 2020 and 2021, respectively.