In a new move for public schools, Florida lawmakers want to make sure high school students in the Sunshine State have money management skills before graduating from high school.
The “Dorothy L. Hukill Financial Literacy Act” (SB 114) would require students to take a half-credit course in financial literacy. Hukill first introduced the legislation in 2018 but failed to get it past the House. Hukill later passed away in October 2018 and now one of her co-sponsors, Sen. Travis Hutson of Palm Coast is seeking to pass the bill in her honor.
The course would focus on budgeting, paying taxes, loans, using credit cards and balancing a checkbook. The bill claims that many students in Florida graduate from high school without having basic financial literacy knowledge. In order to help students gain financial literacy, this course would better prepare students for adulthood and help them achieve financial stability as well as independence.
Lawmakers are expected to consider the bill in March. Should the bill pass, the classes would start for students entering the 9th grade in the 2019-2020 school year. The adoption of the bill would also make Florida the sixth state in the nation to require a course in personal financial literacy as a prerequisite to earning a diploma.
By: Maytinee Kramer
