July 31, 2023

Manchin Announces $2.6 Million for Five West Virginia Educational Development Projects

Charleston, WV – Today, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced $2,631,000 from the U.S. Department of Education for five educational development projects across West Virginia. These federal awards are five of the Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) requests Senator Manchin secured on behalf of West Virginia through the Fiscal Year 2023 funding bill.

“I’m proud to have secured direct funding to support these five exciting educational development projects across our great state,” said Senator Manchin. “These awards will boost telecommunications in our K-12 schools, establish an innovative cybersecurity education and training facility at WVU, upgrade WVU’s library equipment and technology, strengthen educational outreach programs through the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame and develop a special education curriculum for students at Shepherd University. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I will continue advocating for funding through Congressionally Directed Spending and other programs to bolster educational opportunities throughout the Mountain State.”

The Senate Appropriations Committee allows members of Congress to submit CDS requests, which provides an opportunity for state and local governments, non-profits, and other public entities to receive targeted funding for projects that bolster their communities and directly support West Virginians. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Manchin works to ensure taxpayer dollars are allocated to priorities that benefit all West Virginians, boost economic growth and support the needs of communities across the Mountain State while remaining fiscally responsible.

Individual CDS awards listed below:

  • $1,500,000 – West Virginia Network for Educational Telecomputing (WVNET)
    • This funding will be used to upgrade equipment, technology and IT services to establish high speed connectivity between Morgantown and Charleston and to all K-12 schools across the state.
  • $750,000 – West Virginia University (WVU)
    • This funding will be used to create a CyberRange, which is a specialized software and hardware facility dedicated to cybersecurity education, training sessions and research.
  • $250,000 – West Virginia University (WVU)
    • This funding will be used to upgrade library equipment and technology.
  • $111,000 – West Virginia Music Hall of Fame
    • This funding will be used to develop educational outreach programs through interactive displays, exhibits and lesson plans, as well as specialized education sessions for teachers and students across the state.
  • $20,000 – Shepherd University
    • This funding will be used to develop a special education curriculum for students with Elementary and Secondary Education majors.