Should Voters Decide What Schools Teach?

As they choose a presidential candidate in the November election, California voters may also have an unusual opportunity to decide whether the state should add a new course to its high school graduation requirements.

While supporters say the course is urgently needed, critics say the unusual step of putting curriculum-related issues directly to voters could prompt more such proposals—including the hot-button issues that have plagued many other states over the past three years.

The proposed ballot measure would require a one-semester, one-credit course on personal finance, including instruction in budgeting, credit, and investment, concepts that will help students thrive as adults, supporters say. The item has qualified for the general election ballot, but organizers say they will pull it if a similar bill passes the state legislature in time.

Taking the issue to the voters “is not a step we take lightly,” said Tim Ranzetta, a California businessman who has spent about $7.5 million to support the initiative through a campaign called Californians for Financial Education. “There’s been two decades of attempts [to pass financial literacy bills] in the legislature that have frankly let down California youth, and this is very popular.”

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