UPDATE: CHARLESTON, WV (LOOTPRESS) – House Bill 3055 saw its third reading on the House floor Tuesday and garnered substantial support from voting Delegates in attendance.
HB 3055, as explained by Delegate Ellington (R-Mercer, 038) on Tuesday, “calls for restructuring the current math class – the technical transition math for secondary students in the career and technical pathway.”
“The intent is to better prepare them for jobs in the skilled trades,” Delegate Ellington explained, going on to touch on the educational expectations of the curriculum for the proposed course.
“The curriculum is to include the fields of fractions, conversion from fractions to decimals, application of measurement, doing blueprints, geometry pertaining to workforce math, and other math skills needed to succeed in the trades. The structure must meet the same qualifications as needed to teach current trade classes in the public schools. The class can be taken as a personalized math credit to meet graduation requirements.”
Delegates Martin (R-Upshur, 065) and Rowe (D-Kanawha, 052) presented questions pertaining to the specific nature of the course in terms of length and obligation, but the bill otherwise went quickly to a vote.
The final tally saw unanimous passage of the bill through the House with 97 Yeas, 0 Nays, and 3 counted absent. This development has been communicated to the Senate who will consider the legislation themselves.
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CHARLESTON, WV (LOOTPRESS) – The House of Delegates convened Monday morning following a weekend adjournment for a brisk session during which a number of bills and resolutions saw discussion.
One such bill, House Bill 3055, would see the establishment for a specialized math class for students interested in trade-based careers.
“The Legislature find that empowering students to enter the trades is of paramount importance. Restructuring current math programming to assist students for a career in the trades is the best way to achieve this goal,” reads the proposed legislation in part. “The restructuring of the technical transition math class to help students with workforce math will provide students with the opportunity to prepare themselves for a career in the trades.”
The issue of trade-based careers being underrepresented in formal education structures has been a longstanding issue for many West Virginians, with many parents asserting that an over-emphasis on traditional higher learning upon graduation fails to acknowledge the merits of a career in trade vocations necessary for the continued operations of the state.
HB 3055 was introduced in the House on January 25, 2023, and passed through the House Education Committee that same day. On Monday the bill saw its second reading before advancing for a scheduled third reading on the special calendar set for Tuesday.
As far as the class itself which would be established through the passage of the bill, the legislation defines it as pertaining “to math curriculum in the fields of fractions, conversion from fractions to decimals, application of measurement, reading blueprints, geometry pertaining to workforce math and other math skills needed to succeed in the trades.”
Bills to pass through the House during Monday’s floor session, among others, include:
House Bill 2533 – “Relating to a permanent windshield placard to be valid for the duration of the applicant’s life” Passed unanimously with 94 Yeas, 0 Nays, and 6 Absent
House Bill 3141 – Updating language regarding duties of those practicing dentistry in instances of public health emergencies – Passed with 89 Yeas, 6 Nays, and 5 Absent
Some presented bills were referred to committees while some, including Senate Bill 241 – “Relating to Patient Brokering Act” – saw action postponed altogether.
Additional LOOTPRESS coverage of the WV Legislature can be found here.
