California voters will have the opportunity to require high school students to take a personal finance class before graduating.
California Secretary of State Shirley Weber announced Wednesday that an initiative to require the personal finance course is eligible for the November ballot.
The big picture: The initiative needed 546,651 valid signatures in order to qualify for the ballot, and at least 601,317 projected valid signatures to become eligible by random sampling. Weber said that the initiative exceeded that threshold.
- Weber will certify the initiative as qualified for the November election on June 27.
Driving the news: The initiative would add a one-semester personal finance course to existing graduation requirements for public high school students.
- Students beginning with the graduating class of 2030 would be required to take the course, with schools required to offer it by the 2026-2027 school year.
- The state projects that potential costs for implementing the course could reach in the high tens of millions of dollars annually for the first few years and then likely decline over time.
What we’re saying: “We are excited that our initiative to guarantee California High School students a personal finance course prior to graduation will be on the November ballot,” said initiative proponent Tim Ranzetta in a statement. “This popular, common-sense ballot initiative will allow California to join 25 other states in guaranteeing personal finance education to its high school students. California is behind other states, and it is time that California students receive the same opportunity to learn these essential skills.”
