Everyone needs financial literacy to be college and career-ready, yet Alaska ranks an embarrassing 46th in the nation in guaranteeing access to personal finance education. Seventy-six percent of high school graduates and 88% of adults surveyed said they want a required semester or yearlong personal finance course taught in their schools. Currently, 18 states require at least a semester of financial literacy for graduation, and 28 states have proposed legislation to make this needed change.
This is an equity-of-access issue. SB99 is Alaska’s solution. With 11 co-sponsors, SB99, supporting the establishment of a financial literacy curriculum, has wide bipartisan and grassroots support.
Both flexible and rigorous, SB99 works within existing high school graduation requirements and allows each district to decide how best to meet financial literacy curriculum standards. Free quality curriculums and free online teacher professional development are available. Urge your state legislators to support SB99. Call or write today.
— Leola Rutherford
Girdwood
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