As someone who has spent years advocating for financial literacy in West Virginia, I want to publicly thank Senator Amy Grady for her leadership and dedication to our students’ success.

Several years ago, I began working to ensure that all West Virginia students would graduate with a solid foundation in personal finance. I wrote to legislators, arranged for experts to speak at legislative sessions, met with policymakers and wrote letters to local newspapers urging action. Thanks to the combined efforts of advocates, educators and forward-thinking legislators, West Virginia passed a landmark law requiring that beginning with the 2023 cohort, students must complete a personal finance course to graduate.

This was a major step forward for our students and our state. A strong understanding of budgeting, credit, saving and investing empowers young people to build stable futures and avoid financial pitfalls. However, after speaking with teachers, counselors and administrators across the state, I became aware of an unintended consequence: the law required students to take personal finance only in their 11th or 12th grade years. This created significant scheduling difficulties, particularly for students who were pursuing dual enrollment, advanced placement courses, technical education or work-study opportunities. Many students were forced to choose between valuable college-level courses and the personal finance requirement.

Recognizing this problem, I once again turned to advocacy. I wrote to legislators, highlighting the need for flexibility in when students could fulfill the personal finance requirement. I proposed allowing students to take the course anytime between ninth and twelfth grades, rather than restricting it to their final two years.

Senator Amy Grady immediately understood the issue and responded with action. She pledged to address the problem and instructed counsel to draft legislation to make the change. True to her word, Senator Grady helped shepherd a solution through the legislative process. Today, thanks to her leadership, students may now take personal finance as early as eighth grade, giving them far more flexibility to customize their high school education, while still meeting this critical graduation requirement.

Senator Grady’s work demonstrates that policymaking is not just about passing laws — it is about continuous improvement and a commitment to doing what is best for students. Because of her responsiveness and determination, thousands of West Virginia students will now have greater opportunities to pursue college credits, technical education and real-world work experiences, all while becoming financially literate young adults.

Thank you, Senator Grady!

Donna Joy, of Shepherdstown