Carroll County's school board members largely support teaching financial literacy to teens, but some question a proposal to make it a graduation requirement.
Citing statistics that indicate many students are graduating without basic knowledge of money management, local school officials, including Superintendent Charles I. Ecker, want to require students starting ninth grade in 2007 to pass a half-credit financial literacy course to graduate.
But school board members, who said they see the value of teaching teens about financial matters, pondered the merits of the proposed requirement during last week's board meeting.
"We need to make sure we understand what we're trying to require," said board president Thomas G. Hiltz. "Are we requiring [students] to take the course, or are we requiring [them] to have the knowledge?"
He said board members should consider whether current required courses are covering financial literacy concepts.
The board also should contemplate eliminating some other requirement if this one is added, he said in an interview last week.
Hiltz suggested alternatives to having students use classroom time to fulfill the requirement, such as allowing them to take the course online or earn course credit by passing a test that would measure their financial literacy.
"I think there [are] important life skills that our students need to be successful," he said.
But, Hiltz said, a distinction should be drawn between having a class that is intended to teach students something and one that is aimed at changing their behavior.
Many people know about the consequences of poor money management, but continue to make bad financial decisions, he said.
"The behavior is one thing that's more difficult to change," Hiltz said.
Two years ago, when school officials made a similar suggestion, the board voted it down.
If the proposal wins board approval this time around, Carroll would join a handful of other Maryland systems -- including Baltimore, Harford, St. Mary's and Talbot counties -- with a similar requirement.
Nationally, 14 states, including Virginia, require a financial literacy course to graduate. Maryland and the District of Columbia don't have such a requirement.
"Kids are not learning about financial responsibility," said Ecker, who added that 80 percent of parents think schools are providing money management and budget classes. "The students need it. They're not getting it at home."
