In 2017, state lawmakers did require school districts to adopt financial literacy academic standards. It’s up to each district to decide how to implement them, leading to a wide variation across the state.
In some districts, a teacher trained in personal finance teaches a stand-alone course. In others, the material is sprinkled in economics, business and technology, or family and consumer science classes.
It’s essential that young people get this education, said David Mancl, director of the state’s Office of Financial Literacy within the Department of Financial Institutions.
“People are going to be dealing with money sooner or later in their lives and what they don’t know about money can hurt them,” he said.