Eight N.J. high schools teach students personal finance, budgeting in pilot program
Published: Friday, June 25, 2010, 5:15 AM Updated: Friday, June 25, 2010, 5:43 AM
John Byrne, economics teacher at Alexander Hamilton Prep, discussing the components of the personal finance curriculum which will be implemented this fall.ELIZABETH — As Bayron Ortiz of Elizabeth and heads off to technical school, he is confident he will have a handle on how to manage his own money.
First, he’ll try to establish good credit and avoid racking up bills as he begins Lincoln Technical Institute in the fall.
"If you can’t afford it, it’s better not to buy it," said the 18-year-old graduate of Alexander Hamilton Preparatory Academy. "That debt drags on for the rest of your life."
The recent Elizabeth High School graduate owes his knowledge of credit cards, interest rates and budgeting to the high school economics course he took this year, which included a hefty dose of personal finance.
Elizabeth is one of eight New Jersey districts that will pilot a program this fall to teach high school students personal finance — budgeting, credits cards and debt, saving and investing. As part of the revamped high school graduation requirements the state Department of Education unveiled a