West Virginia’s education system and its student outcomes have historically ranked among the lowest in the country. If the state of West Virginia is to move forward and find a path to prosperity, improving our education system is a must.

Education choice is a critical piece of reforming West Virginia’s education system. We must empower parents and students and offer them options in their education, so they can choose the model of learning that best fits their needs. This is why I have always supported – and will continue to support – the Hope Scholarship for everyone who wants it. We can not pretend that public schools are right for every child, because they aren’t. Some children need a more tailored approach to thrive, and we must empower parents to make these choices because they know their children best.

I believe we must also continue to invest in our public school system to bring them to a place where they are thriving. The students, parents, and teachers within our public schools deserve this.

Education choice isn’t just about choice for parents and kids … it’s about teacher choice, as well. In the Eastern Panhandle we’ve had teacher choice for decades, but the choice hasn’t been a battle between Berkeley and Jefferson or Musselman and Martinsburg; it’s been a battle against Loudoun, Washington, Clarke, and Frederick Counties. We’ve lost too many great teachers to counties right across the border in Virginia and Maryland. We need to keep our teaching talent at home and be able to recruit more teachers by making our pay and benefits more competitive. Which is why I have championed pay raises for teachers and school service personnel every year I have been in office. Additionally, I have been the lead champion for locality pay for state employees, and I am immensely proud that the State Senate passed this in the 2026 Legislative Session. While the House of Delegates failed to get this across the finish line, I believe we are very close to having similar success in that chamber. I will not stop fighting for locality pay for our state employees until we get the job done. This is vital to the success of our state long-term, particularly our schools.

West Virginia is on the right path forward in the education reform we’ve enacted to date. As your State Senator, I have and will continue to improve upon these important reforms and to put the opportunity for our kids, parents, and teachers first.