The proposed bill aims to establish the Future-Ready Education Act in West Virginia, which focuses on modernizing educational programs and technologies to better prepare students for future workforce needs. Key provisions include allowing local fiscal bodies to enter into multi-year contracts for educational materials that include a technology licensing service component, provided they can document material fiscal savings. The bill also extends the Mountain State Digital Project to include grades 9-12 and adds educational support and tutoring in subjects such as reading, mathematics, science, and career-technical education. Additionally, it authorizes the Department of Education to retain $7,100,000 from the foundational allowance for the 2026-2027 school year to provide high-quality professional training in the science of reading for public school teachers in grades K-5.

Furthermore, the bill introduces a new section, 18A-3-13, which mandates that all Kindergarten through Grade 5 public school teachers providing literacy instruction receive intensive training in the science of reading starting in the 2026-2027 school year. Current educators must enroll in this training by the 2027-2028 school year, while newly employed teachers must enroll in their first year. The State Board of Education is tasked with overseeing the training and may offer accommodations for counties with educators in the process of obtaining the required endorsement. Public charter school teachers are also given the option to participate in this training.

Statutes affected:
Introduced Version: 11-8-26, 18-2E-12, 18-9A-10, 18A-3-13