On Could twenty third, Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed HB 1192, a invoice that requires highschool college students to finish a course that includes all the Colorado tutorial requirements for monetary literacy. Consultant Anthony Hartsook (R) and Consultant Jennifer Bacon (D) co-sponsored the invoice together with Senator Jeff Bridges (D) and Senator Lisa Frizell (R).
Colorado is the twenty eighth state to require a course devoted to non-public monetary literacy for highschool college students. When carried out totally, 66% of U.S. highschool college students might be assured to take a Private Finance course by 2030.
The invoice consists of funding for implementation. It appropriates cash from the 2025-26 fiscal 12 months to the Colorado Division of Schooling, which can be used to compensate lecturers for finishing skilled improvement workshops.
Consultant Bacon, who as soon as labored as a math trainer, emphasised the significance of this effort. “Monetary literacy is of the utmost significance for college kids and youngsters. All Colorado college students should construct their literacy in methods that decide a lot of our lives,” she acknowledged.
Consultant Hartsook agreed that monetary literacy instruction is crucial, drawing on his expertise as a U.S. Military commander when he “usually noticed troopers battle with fundamental cash administration and really useful they attend monetary literacy workshops.”
A coalition of educators, college students, mother and father, and advocacy teams, together with the NGPF Mission 2030 Fund, an affiliate of Subsequent Gen Private Finance, championed the invoice and testified in assist of it.
“This can be a large win for Colorado college students and households,” mentioned Yanely Espinal, the Director of Instructional Outreach at Subsequent Gen Private Finance ( NGPF). “Guaranteeing all college students a category about budgeting, saving, accountable borrowing, and diversified funding choices is a key step towards serving to younger folks keep away from frequent pitfalls and obtain monetary dignity.”
Different supporters of the invoice included the Colorado Bankers Affiliation, Stand for Kids, the Nationwide Affiliation of Insurance coverage & Monetary Advisors – Colorado, and Ednium: The Alumni Collective.
Richard Maez, the Government Director at Ednium, shared “We’ve heard from alumni throughout Colorado that the primary piece lacking from their training was a course on Private Finance. Due to this coalition of assist, we’re guaranteeing all Colorado graduates could have the data and abilities to make extra knowledgeable choices concerning their monetary future.”
Matthew Layden, a present highschool senior and chief at Monetary Youngsters Colorado, highlighted that this invoice ensures all college students graduate with important monetary literacy abilities for the twenty first century.
He mentioned understanding budgeting, investing, and entrepreneurship opens doorways to numerous profession alternatives and promotes financial fairness. “Everybody deserves the possibility to dwell their American dream,” Layden mentioned, “and monetary training is the important thing to unlocking that chance for all college students.”
Jill Wilson, a trainer at Glenwood Springs Excessive Faculty for over 20 years, mentioned, “By guaranteeing college students a monetary training course in highschool, we’re guaranteeing they received’t must learn the way cash works by the ‘college of laborious knocks’ or pricey errors.”
Analysis exhibits that college students who take a private finance course make higher long-term monetary choices and see enhancements in credit score scores and debt administration.
A current report estimates {that a} one-semester private finance course can present a lifetime advantage of about $116,000 per highschool graduate in Colorado.
NGPF helps greater than 120,000 educators nationwide, together with over 2,000 lecturers within the state of Colorado, by offering free curriculum and trainer skilled improvement each in Colorado and nationwide.
The NGPF Mission 2030 Fund, a nonprofit that advocates for this coverage in all states, was a supporter of the invoice.
