To the Future and Beyond Students Preparing Themselves for Financial Independence

1
To the Future and BeyondStudents Preparing
Themselves for Financial Independence

• Stacey LaRiviere
• Chesterfield County Public Schools
• 2006 Member
• Virginia Board of EducationStudent Advisory
  Committee
• Financial Literacy Work Group

2
Who is the VBOE/SAC?

• Each year only eight high school and four middle
  school students are chosen from across the
  Commonwealth.
• We are 12 students representing our own schools
  and county schools.
• We take our responsibility seriously.

3
What is the VBOE/SAC?

• Unlike any other state in the Union, our
  commonwealths Virginia Board of Education (VBOE)
  boasts a Student Advisory Committee (SAC) that
  acts as an arm of the Virginia Board of
  Education.
• The vision of the SAC is to give the students of
  Virginia the influence and opportunity to make
  their educational environment more successful.
• The spirit of the SAC is to represent the
  students of Virginia by requesting their input on
  issues that affect students at the local level
  and implementing their ideas across VA.
• The work of the SAC is guided by Dept of
  Education staff leaders and VBOE Board members,
  and the youth members themselves.
• The SACs purpose is to make recommendations to
  the Virginia Board of Education on how each issue
  should be addressed and then implemented.

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How do we work on our issues?

• Roundtable discussion with other group members to
  come up with topics. Each member includes
  remarks from other students at their respective
  schools.
• The group recorded the issues, and selected the
  Big Three the topics that seemed the most
  relevant to all group members.
• Our work group selected Readily/Equally
  Available Internships and Shadowing, Emphasis
  on Technology Integration for Students of All
  Ages and Levels, and Incorporating Financial
  Knowledge in the Curriculum. Of course
• Entire VBOE/SAC picked a number one topic for
  each work group or sub committee.

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Then, what?

• Divided up responsibilities internet research
  researched resources available (human, dollar,
  and time, etc) interviewed topic specialists
  asked for input and feedback from students,
  teachers, and administrators across the
  commonwealth
• Found statistics on how many kids werent
  prepared for handling their own finances
  researched what was required for students in
  Virginia to learn about financial
  responsibilities contacted people who we thought
  that could give us advice.

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In the End

• Our committee proposed this topic to the Board
  Members of the Virginia Board of Education
  because we
• - feel that financial awareness is
  a fundamental part of life
• - feel that it is only briefly
  touched upon now
• Our committee brought this to the board because
• - it has the manpower and influence
  to implement our ideas
• - would improve the students of
  Virginia to become successful
• We thought the board could implement this by
• - integrating financial literacy
  into the curriculum
• - creating an SOL
• - creating a mandatory course for
  high schoolers THAT WOULD

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Determine a BETTER future!

• Through elementary, middle and high school
  classes on financial literacy that specifically
  focus on savings and loans, balancing a
  checkbook, investments, insurance and knowing
  about mortgages and debt.

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As a new Freshman in the International
Baccalaureate Program at Midlothian High School

• I think that financial education is important at
  such an early age because
• Creates a basic understanding of seemingly
  complicated ideas (aka Im not scared about
  managing money)
• Helps to include learned arithmetic skills into
  everyday life (so many students say math, math)
• Insures that the overall economy of Virginia is
  healthy because its youngest citizens know how to
  grow their own finances and take care of their
  own households.