Class gives students financial pointers

Oct. 30--Students at Permian High School are getting a lesson in financial literacy that they say will help them in the future.

The high school curriculum is Foundations in Personal Finance, based on principles from syndicated radio financial advisor Dave Ramsey.

More than four million students in middle schools, high schools and universities nationwide have gone through Ramsey Education's Foundations in Personal Finance curriculum, a news release said. Foundations teaches students the value of saving, spending and giving to guide them down the path of financial literacy, the release said.

It can be used as a resource to fulfill requirements in math, social studies, economics, family and consumer sciences, business mathematics and personal finance, the release said. The curriculum is available in a textbook and digital platform.

In this case, it falls under career and technical education, Ann Kennedy, Permian CTE department chair, said.

Ramsey Solutions aims to help people "regain control of their money, build wealth, grow their leadership skills and enhance their lives through personal development," the release said.

The course covers personal finance, saving, budgeting, debt, emergency funds, learning how to pay cash for college and getting grants so they're not taking out student loans, teachers said.

Kennedy said the courses were implemented eight or nine years ago. Two business teachers, Natalie Jones and James Magness, use computers in the classroom and Sarah Garlington teaches in a classroom that doesn't have computers, Kennedy said.

Jones said the benefit to students is that they can get financial planning help in high school.

"It's applicable, not only now but also as they leave high school and go on to college or to the workforce," Jones said.

Magness said students can bring the information back to their families and tell their parents what they're learning.

Ramsey injects Christianity into his broadcasts, but Jones said he includes everyone in his messages.

"He is Christian, but is able to bring any situation and everyone into his discussions and examples. His message is everyone needs to get out of debt and stay out of debt so they can achieve their purpose in life. He gives a great example of a student that was in college and very good in his field. The problem was when that student graduated he was not able to do work the he so passionately loved, because he had saddled himself with enormous amounts of student debt. He had to make more than the starting wage in his field, so he was unable to pursue his dream job. He emphasizes to take advantage of local and state universities in order to keep college costs low, so you have endless opportunities when you graduate. His motto is, of course, live like no one else, so one day you can live like no one else, and that includes teenagers and young people," Jones said in an email.

Magness added that once you obtain wealth Ramsey says you should be a giving person.

He also teaches more upper-level financial courses where he talks about investing in real estate or stocks.

"The kids are interested in how that works," Magness said.

Some students are not in the class by choice, but Magness said they are able to take something from it.

"They have a lot of half-credit options to put the kids that don't have somewhere to go, but a lot of them get put in this class because the counselors see the benefit to the kid now and after they leave Permian," Jones said.

She added that you'd be surprised how many students are already in debt.

"It's not credit card debt. ... They may owe their parents money. It (the course) talks about being financially responsible and paying them back if you owe them money," Jones said. "Some of them do have jobs. We do have some 18 year olds in here that are seniors that can take out loans for car tires. It talks about how compounding interest works and if you paid $500 for these two tires but you pay them out over two years now you're looking at the fact that it's double the cost of the tire, which a lot of them don't realize ... when they're making the decision."

Seniors Christoval Trejo, 18, and Hunter Colbert, 17, said they found the class informative and useful.

Trejo said it has taught students not to rely on credit because you can easily go into debt and not making impulse purchases.

"It's going to be good for our future," Colbert said. "It will be helpful. It teaches us how to do everything we need."

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