Gov. Patrick Morrisey chose Wood County this week for a ceremonial signing of House Bill 5438, which is meant to improve instructional programs and technology; and teacher and leader induction and professional growth. Among the highlights of the bill is the LETRS initiative.

Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling should support our teachers in improving student literacy outcomes. That’s a big deal in a state that perpetually struggles with bottom-of-the-barrel performance when compared with other states.

“Our state needs to rise in those rankings,” Morrisey said. “We know that if they can’t read in school, they are not going to be able to advance and that is going to hurt their ability to succeed long-term.”

Lawmakers were right to take a page out of surrounding states’ books and focus on the Science of Reading after their effort with the Third Grade Success Act. But phrases such as “early childhood development” or “literacy and numeracy support” can’t just be political shiny objects that attract attention during one session and disappear during the next.

This momentum must continue — for the sake not just of students at Gihon Elementary, where Morrisey made his appearance, but for this and ensuing generations of Mountain State students who deserve better than what they’ve been told they can expect from a public school education here.

There is, however, a fine line between supporting teachers and meddling in their classrooms. The folks in Charleston must maintain their focus on supportive, improvement efforts that give teachers the help they need and then get out of the way.

“We are not just looking at ways to improve education, we are looking for ways to transform it,” Morrisey said. “We want teachers who are ready to lead and a future filled with potential because that is what these students deserve.”

Good. If we trust our teachers to take these new tools and build a brighter future for West Virginia students, we need to leave them to it.

LETRS and other recent initiatives are full of potential. Mountain State residents are looking forward to watching teachers and their students reach that potential and then soar beyond anything they thought possible.