Finance

Brevard’s school board set to adopt Dave Ramsey’s Christian-based financial curriculum

Published

11 months ago

February 11, 2025

Brevard’s school board set to adopt Dave Ramsey’s Christian-based financial curriculum

Dave Ramsey’s courses discuss how to save money in a God-honoring way.

Following in the footsteps of other districts around the state, Brevard Public Schools is set to approve Dave Ramsey’s Christian-based financial curriculum for high schoolers at Tuesday’s board meeting.

The course is meant to “help students avoid loans and other money traps” and give them “the secure future they deserve,” according to Ramsey’s website.

Despite the curriculum being built on an evangelical Christian worldview and how to honor God with your money, the text was approved for use in Florida public schools in 2023 by the state board of education.

Pasco County’s school board unanimously approved the curriculum in 2023 despite reviewers saying the textbook was “riddled with problems” and included quotes from Scripture to back up key points, according to a report by WUSF. Ramsey’s website doesn’t say how many other districts in Florida use the curriculum. FLORIDA TODAY reached out for clarification but received no response.

Brevard’s school board will vote on whether or not to approve it on Tuesday at the 5:30 p.m. meeting, according to the agenda published on the district’s website. Members of the public can comment ahead of the vote.

Who is Dave Ramsey?

Ramsey, the founder and CEO of Ramsey Solutions — a company that provides financial undefined services with a Biblical-based worldview — is a personal finance expert and host of “The Ramsey Show” podcast. According to his website, he fought his way out of bankruptcy and millions of dollars in debt, then set out to change the “toxic money culture” and provide a Bible-based financial curriculum for people from all walks of life.

The legitimacy of his financial advice has been debated for more than 10 years, with a Reuters article from 2013 calling his investing advice that of a “financial illiterate.” The article adds that his advice is targeted toward people who generally won’t be able to afford to invest in the ways he suggests anyway. He offers encouragement to save money, though doesn’t excel at explaining how to do so, critics said.

What does Ramsey’s curriculum cover?

“Foundations in Personal Finance” is a high school curriculum that covers topics such as budgeting and saving, avoiding debt, investing and more. The curriculum includes a textbook, as well as videos with finance experts and online student activities.

It was approved by the Florida Department of Education for the 2023-2024 school year for the Florida high school course Personal Finance and Money Management, as well as its honors counterpart.

Is Dave Ramsey’s curriculum approved by Florida’s board of education?

Ramsey’s book was on The Florida Department of Education’s list of approved materials for the 2023-2024 school year. The list of approved materials for the 2025-2026 school year is still being finalized.

Ramsey’s website says the material in “Foundations in Personal Finance” and “Foundations in Economics and Personal Finance” meets the requirements for two different Florida high school courses and claims that 45% of schools in the United States use the Foundations curriculum.

How did Brevard pick Dave Ramsey’s curriculum?

The recommendation to use Ramsey’s book came from Brevard’s Personal Finance Review Team and community members who reviewed the books at Viera Middle School in October, according to the district’s website. The book was also available to view for feedback online from Sept. 20 through Nov. 18, with feedback shared with the District Review Team.

What does Florida’s personal financial literacy course teach?

Florida’s Personal Financial Literacy course is designed to introduce students to concepts including the American economic system, personal and family management of resources and income, money management, saving and investing, spending and credit, consumer information and taxation, financial planning and the role of financial institutions, according to the Florida Department of Education.

It became a required class for high schoolers during the 2023-2024 school year, when a financial literacy course law signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis took effect.

According to the Council for Economic Education, in 2024, 35 states required students to take a course in personal finance to graduate from high school.

Can parents choose another curriculum?

If the school board approves the curriculum at the Tuesday school board meeting, Brevard County residents can contest the selection within 30 days. For any petitions received within this timeframe, the school board will be required to hold at least one public hearing before an “unbiased and qualified hearing officer” who cannot be an employee of the district, according to their website. Petitioners must be given an opportunity to present their issue with the curriculum. The school board’s decision after the hearing is final.

Finch Walker is the education reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Walker at fwalker@floridatoday.com. X: @_finchwalker.

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Published

1 day ago

January 9, 2026

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Holyoke City Council sends finance overhaul plan to committee for review

HOLYOKE — The City Council has advanced plans to create a finance and administration department, voting to send proposed changes to a subcommittee for further review.

The move follows guidance from the state Division of Local Services aimed at strengthening the city’s internal cash controls, defining clear lines of accountability, and making sure staff have the appropriate education and skill level for their financial roles.

On Tuesday, Councilor Meg Magrath-Smith, who filed the order, said the council needed to change some wording about qualifications based on advice from the human resources department before sending it to the ordinance committee for review.

The committee will discuss and vote on the matter before it can head back to the full City Council for a vote. It meets next Tuesday. The next council meeting is scheduled for Jan. 20.

On Monday, Mayor Joshua Garcia said in his inaugural address that he plans to continue advancing his Municipal Finance Modernization Act.

Last spring, Garcia introduced two budget plans: one showing the current $180 million cost of running the city, and another projecting savings if Holyoke adopted the finance act.

Key proposed changes include realigning departments to meet modern needs, renaming positions and reassigning duties, fixing problems found in decades of audits, and using technology to improve workflow and service.

Garcia said the plan aims to also make government more efficient and accountable by boosting oversight of the mayor and finance departments, requiring audits of all city functions, enforcing penalties for policy violations, and adding fraud protections with stronger reporting.

Other steps included changing the city treasurer from an elected to an appointed position, a measure approved in a special election last January.

Additionally, the city would adopt a financial management policies manual, create a consolidated Finance Department and hire a chief administrative and financial officer to handle forecasting, capital planning and informed decision-making.

Garcia said that the state has suggested creating the CAFO position for almost 20 years and called on the City Council to pass the reform before the end of this fiscal year, so that it can be in place by July 1.

In a previous interview, City Council President Tessa Murphy-Romboletti said nine votes were needed to adopt the financial reform.

She also said past problems stemmed from a lack of proper systems and checks, an issue the city has dealt with since the 1970s.

The mayor would choose this officer, and the City Council will approve the appointment, she said.

In October, the City Council narrowly rejected the finance act in an 8-5 vote.

Supporters ― Michael Sullivan, Israel Rivera, Jenny Rivera, Murphy-Romboletti, Anderson Burgos, former Councilor Kocayne Givner, Patti Devine and Magrath-Smith ― said the city needs modernization and greater transparency.

Opponents ― Howard Greaney Jr., Linda Vacon, former Councilors David Bartley, Kevin Jourdain and Carmen Ocasio — said a qualified treasurer should be appointed first.

Vacon said then the treasurer’s office was “a mess,” and that the city should “fix” one department before “mixing it with another.”

The City Council also clashed over fixes, as the state stopped sending millions in monthly aid because the city hadn’t finished basic financial paperwork for three years.

The main problem came from delays in financial reports from the treasurer’s office.

Holyoke had a history of late filings. For six of the past eight years, the city delayed its required annual financial report, and five times in the past, the state withheld aid.

Council disputes over job descriptions, salaries and reforms also stalled progress.

In November, millions in state aid began flowing back to Holyoke after the city made some progress in closing out its books.

The state had withheld nearly $29 million for four months but even with aid restored, Holyoke still faces big financial problems, the Division of Local Services said.