Starting this fall, Pennsylvania will join 29 other states in requiring students to take a standalone personal finance course before they graduate.
In Pittsburgh, Westinghouse High School business teacher Melissa Selko said financial literacy can often fall by the wayside in the classroom.
“What do [students] need to be successful in life? Keeping track of their own money,” Selko said. “So I’m grateful that they finally got the big picture and now it’s required for them.”
The state’s new academic standards include lessons on financial goal-setting, types of income, developing a budget, saving and investing.
Pittsburgh Public Schools’ personal finance course, previously offered as an elective for high schoolers, will now be required for all students in the class of 2027.
Selko, who helped write the curriculum, said it’s a course she wishes she had access to in high school.
“We’re the educators, we’re supposed to help them to be successful in life,” Selko said. “And I think this is one area that we’ve always fallen short.”
PPS has already begun to bridge these lessons to younger students through its annual personal finance summit at the Community College of Allegheny County.
Ninth graders from across PPS gathered at the college’s North Side campus this week, where they were split into groups aligned with the career and technical education pathways the district offers. Professionals from each sector then walked them through creating a budget based on the typical income someone in that role makes.
State and local leaders met in the halls of Westinghouse Academy this week to tour the high school’s career and technical education facilities. Lt. Gov. Austin Davis and minority chair of the state’s Senate Education Committee, Sen. Lindsey Williams heard from students enrolled in programs as well.
Allderdice High School freshman Devon Dawson said he’s grateful to start learning these skills now.
“I like learning about it because I want to be ready to be able to do it when I’m older,” Dawson said. “Even going into college, I want to be prepared.”
CAPA ninth grader Graham Watkins said he’s especially interested in financial literacy given the economic fluctuations created by the war with Iran.
“We drive past the gas station every morning and I’ve noticed how much the gas prices have gone up,” Watkins said.
District leaders say the summit is just one way it is introducing students and their families to personal finance ahead of the new course requirement.
PPS has also announced plans to host a weekly webinar series this month to offer parents resources related to budgeting, credit, retirement and estate planning. The 30-minute workshops will stream live on the district’s Facebook page.
Eric Kincaid, who oversees career and technical programs at Brashear High School in Beechview, said the new course will be useful to students whether they choose to pursue college, the trades or another path after high school.
“But having that financial base is definitely huge to help them make generational change,” he said.