ANNAPOLIS – More than 10,000 Marylanders signed a petition in support of teaching high school students basic financial skills, Comptroller Peter Franchot announced at a Board of Public Works hearing Wednesday.
Franchot said a mandatory, statewide six-week course that teaches students about the basics of financial literacy, including lessons on credit cards and checking account balances, would help young adults foster consumer confidence and financial security.
The signers of the petition “all agree that Maryland needs to act now” to prepare students for the future, said Franchot, who would like to see the course taught by every school system in the state.
Some local education systems, like Wicomico County and Baltimore, offer financial literacy lessons embedded in other courses, but do not offer a standalone course in personal finance.
A course involving the science and policy issues of environmental literacy is also being considered, said Interim State Superintendent of Schools Bernard J. Sadusky.