Modernizing educational programs and technologies

This bill, titled the Future-Ready Education Act, aims to modernize educational programs and technologies in West Virginia to better prepare students for future workforce needs. It allows local school districts to enter multi-year contracts for educational materials that include technology licensing, provided these contracts offer significant fiscal savings and include a cancellation clause. The legislation extends the Mountain State Digital Literacy Project to include grades 9-12 and adds support for reading, mathematics, science, and career-technical education. Additionally, it authorizes the state to retain $7.1 million from the 2026-2027 school year budget to fund high-quality professional training in the science of reading for kindergarten through fifth-grade teachers, with voluntary participation allowed for public charter school educators.