The Georgia Board of Education approved changes to the current high school economics course on Dec. 9, which includes the expansion of instruction on personal finance. Two local education leaders said the curriculum revisions are great for Georgia students.
“When it comes to have anything to do with teaching students, teaching boys and girls anything that will support them for the 50, 60, 70 years in their life after they leave us, we’re all for that,” Will Schofield, superintendent of the Hall County School District, said about the revisions.
The revised economics course will include teachings related to managing a budget, building credit, identity theft, tax forms and student loans. The revisions to the course will be implemented during the 2022-2023 school year. Economics is required for all high school students in the state.
Schofield said now is the perfect time to make these revisions, although he would like to see more done on the topic in the future.
“All of the metrics are telling us that … young people and their families, even their parents, are tremendously underprepared when it comes to personal finance,” Schofield said. “Personal finance is one of those things I personally … would like to see weaved in from kindergarten on.”
Students in Hall County high schools are already able to learn about personal finance as part of the Career, Technical and Agricultural Education pathway, but Schofield said the revised economics course will also be a big help.
Jeremy Williams, superintendent of the Gainesville City School System, said students can already learn about personal finance at Gainesville High School as well. However, the Gainesville High School course that includes personal finance curriculum is not required for all students.
“There’s currently a fourth level math class that about half or more than half of our seniors take called advanced math decision making,” Williams said. “When you look at the opportunity for our kids to be exposed, it’s there now a little bit, but the difference is every senior is required to take economics … not every senior was required to take advanced math decision making.”
Williams said personal finance is an extremely important topic that will have a lasting impact on students’ lives.
“It’s a lot easier to learn it now than have to make a lot of mistakes down the road, and then have to figure it out then,” Williams said. “Too many times, some decisions that are made you have to learn the hard way when it comes to personal finances.”
