Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill Tuesday that requires high school students complete a half-credit course on financial literacy before they graduate.
DeSantis signed the bill into law at a signing ceremony at Innovation Preparatory Academy in Wesley Chapel, Florida, touting the bill’s requirements as a key measure to ensure students in the state are fully educated.
“We try to work hard to provide students with the fullest education possible,” DeSantis said. “We’re a state that believes in high standards. We want high academic achievement.”
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“What this bill is doing for financial literacy is going to be applicable in [students’] lives regardless of what path they take,” the governor continued. “If they go the university route, postgraduate … they are still going to need these skills. If they go right into the workforce, they are still going to need these skills.”
Governor DeSantis signs bill requiring all Florida high school students to fulfill a financial literacy class before graduation. https://t.co/SBurjOlNgq
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) March 22, 2022
The bill is the latest education-focused legislation passed in Florida recently, coming the day after DeSantis approved $800 million in state funding to raise teacher pay.
The new financial literacy requirement will require students to learn about the different types of bank accounts, how to file taxes, apply for loans, receive an inheritance, and even how to contest incorrect bills.
Financial literacy education has gained renewed focus since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic and the resulting economic challenges, according to a 2021 report from the New York Times highlighting several organizations, including the National Endowment for Financial Education, that are advocating increased financial literacy instruction.
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The new law makes Florida the seventh state to enact a financial literacy requirement for high school graduation, according to WFLA. The bill received unanimous support in the state Legislature.
