But again, uh as that young woman shared in the task force meeting, this our students are going to be expected to deal with a world that requires them to have financial literacy. And so, I think it's worth the time, the effort, and money to discuss how to make that possible and so that we're not sending our kids out into a world once they cross that stage. And they're being taken advantage of scams all over social media, cryptocurrency, and people losing their meager life savings. Um and so, I think uh if there is a conversation worth having, this is one of those topics that absolutely should be at the board level. So, what are you guys doing as a as a group to urge or to get the Board of Education to recognize this and to have a discussion, full-on discussion about it? We've reached out to a number of the board members, and so I don't know I don't the process for getting an item on the board agenda isn't always the clearest to me.
Um but we've been, you know, as much as possible kind of raising awareness to them. And like I said, we've had a grant-funded campaign to actually go out and have conversations with community. So, we've done our own survey and I've shared those results with each of the board members and the board staff as well. So, I hope that there will be some board agenda item in the near future where we can kind of give this uh give this topic the the time it deserves. So, do you think we need to look at makeup of the board to ensure that we have accountability by the board in some of these areas that the legislature itself has introduced bills, not just resolutions, but bills um to have um financial literacy as part of the um not an elective and not where students can just go in when when they have time to watch a video, that it be embedded into the whole curriculum and possibly the require a requirement for graduation.
Um that obviously I don't know there. Your report isn't not enough for for them to be held accountable to why they haven't even had a discussion. My guess is that um I think unlike uh the legislature, folks don't necessarily know the Board of Education members. And so, while you folks meet with students and, you know, the State Student Council and some of these different organizations, and again, if you spend any time with students and ask them what they care about, financial literacy is inevitably going to come up. But the Board of Education, as far as I've seen, doesn't necessarily have the same mechanisms for providing that engagement cuz I'm sure if board members spoke with students as often as I do, as often as you folks do, um I would hope that financial literacy would rise to the level of priority. So, may I think it's a good conversation about the makeup of the board.
>> We have a We have and I have encouraged that the board or member of the board is present at these hearings because the at these hearings, we hear these measures, we hear from the public, they can hear from us. And every time we've heard this measure, it's always been supportive of financial literacy. For them not to know or understand that, um and yes, they're volunteers, but they agreed to serve. And so, are they shirking their responsibilities by not even have a discussion or have a board agenda item? And today, we have nobody from the Board of Education here, do we? So, again, um they're they seem to not be taking this thing seriously or taking our committee or the legislature or the public's view seriously to be involved or be on Zoom or be in this hearing, um which is very troubling. I agree.
Are there any questions? Any questions? So, so I guess, you know, what So, was there any action at the board then? It was So, it was just an overview of the PTP, and that was the discussion at the board from my understanding. From what I remember about that board agenda is so, there were three different task forces at the time that were created. Uh and basically, they're looking at these hot topics that come up every year at the legislature. So, computer science, financial literacy, and then I believe civic engagement. Um I was part of the computer science and financial literacy. And what they did is they took each of those three reports and then brought it to the board um for awareness and discussion. But again, uh my memory serving me correctly or not, I don't remember a follow-up meeting where any formal action was taken on either of those three uh potential graduation requirements.
So, um I think one of the hopes with a resolution like this is that it does build some momentum to actually have that vote one day, and students actually have that high-quality financial literacy experience before they graduate. Do we get the theory? Yep. Theory, please. Thank you. Thank you. Theory. Thanks for being here. So, I I guess maybe you can explain to us cuz my understanding was there there was going to be some, you know, deeper dive into financial literacy. And I guess I'm just trying to get my wrap my head around of what action actually happened on your commitment to financial literacy. >> Yep, you are correct. And the department has adopted the Jumpstart Financial Literacy Standards. So, any program that is approved to be used for financial literacy does address all of these national standards, not just hopping on for 30 minutes to learn financial literacy.
So, the department is absolutely committed. We've heard the students as well um to implementing um a robust financial literacy curriculum in our secondary schools. So, starting in school year 2026-2027, completing a course that addresses um our adopted Jumpstart National Financial Literacy Standards um is expected. So, starting with the freshman class of 2026, so that means the graduating class of 2030 will all have graduated with a course in financial literacy that addresses all of those standards. By incorporating the PT the financial literacy coursework into the PTP, which is a personal transition plan that is a um a tool that um students um it helps them with post-secondary, but it's also a it can be a repository of coursework taken that that is accredited course. And one of the starting with the class of 2030, which they would be freshman in school year 2026-2027, all students have to have completed a financial literacy course and have it recorded in their PTP, which is a required credit for graduation.
So, how are they going to fit that in? Is it an elective or is it a course? >> There's So, it's not a one-size-fits-all. We do have options for this. So, the first option is a stand-alone elective course. So, schools um already do um and can continue to do or start new courses. A student can take as one of their elective credits financial literacy. If a student chooses or if the school doesn't offer at this time to take a stand-alone course, they might want to take a world language, they might want to participate in CTE, they might want to join our JROTC. So, if they don't want to use their elective credit um for financial literacy, it's still a requirement for graduation. Schools have the opportunity um to embed the financial literacy standards, which are well-defined in existing coursework. Or option three, a student can take a self-paced um course by very reputable um programs.
And if we're happy to show you those programs, they have been vetted. They're not just a one-shot 20-minute I've taken a financial literacy course. Any program um that is synchronous or asynchronous has been vetted to meet our adopted Jumpstart Literacy Financial Literacy Standards. So, students schools can um use either advisory or homeroom. These are just some options where students complete their financial literacy coursework in a schedule that has been developed by the school. And the fourth option that students have that they're currently doing um in some areas is taking the financial literacy course as a um asynchronous self-paced course during the summer. Some schools have opened up um spaces after school where students go to report to complete their financial literacy coursework, which they are engaged in through a vetted um synchronous or asynchronous um financial literacy programs. >> That seems like it's It's great that you have a lot of options, but my fear is especially if you take option number two, which is leave it to the school to embed it into curriculum, I feel like you're going to get a whole lot of different outcomes of what the delivery is going to be and you know, if and it's good in some respects if you're a high quality learner, but you know, if it's not your interest, you're just kind of you know, pushing it along and I think you know, the whole purpose of this is is to teach people okay, you know, the the basic that every there should be a baseline understanding what how to balance your checkbook, how to you know, how to you know, manage your finances and and so I I hope you you you folks have a plan of you make sure that that baseline is happening at in some of the schools that maybe like okay, I'm just going to embed in my curriculum so we just check it off the list and then you get really lower quality, right?
>> You're absolutely correct on that and that is the most difficult option and in the review, which is not comprehensive yet, it's looking like the most natural fit would be in courses such as AP business with personal finance and not all schools offer that anyway. So, it would be a very robust task to implement those standards in an existing course because the existing course is also held to the content that gives it its ACCN number. So, you're absolutely correct that would be probably the most challenging, but there are some courses like the courses I just mentioned where it could it could be a fit and not impact the integrity of the course. >> So, so when will you have some preliminary data cuz you're going to start next year, right? >> Correct. >> should at least have some semblance of a plan, I would assume unless the unless they take it in later years.
Are they what year do they start taking it? >> So, so it is four years. So, that that is so it is four years and currently we do have the data for the students who are taking financial literacy and it's not every student and our the expectation and the requirement is in order to graduate in 2030, everyone has to have taken it. So, the numbers will skyrocket after this, but we do have the numbers of students who are taking financial literacy as an elective course. We also have the numbers who are taking the courses such as Everfi financial literacy education program. So, we do have the data of what exists and we will continue to collect the data moving forward, but again, if financial literacy is required as part of a graduation requirement that it is, you have to take it before you've met your requirements for graduation.
Can you try? All right, to follow up on that. So, when will the option to have it embedded when will cuz there's they should be able to start in 2026. It it will start the the options and these are just options. So, if a school elects not to embed it in existing coursework, that that's the school decision. What is not negotiable is that all schools must offer financial literacy starting with school year 2026 so that students graduating in the class of 2030 have a financial literacy. >> So, the options is not the students' options, it's the options for the school. Correct. Okay, I thought it was for the for the students, but now you're leaving up to the school. Well, well, a student excuse me, a student can take a course if the school offers it as an elective, but they might not choose to take the elective.
They might choose another elective and still have the opportunity to take one of the other >> two and the school didn't offer that, didn't have that embedded in, they that wouldn't be an option. >> Well, they wouldn't choose number two because the school doesn't offer it. >> have that wouldn't be an option to the for the student. So, the student would be left with only three options. >> Correct. And I have concerns about three and four because this is self-paced, this is async async. They can turn on the video and walk away. Um these courses have been vetted. Um they've >> that, but they still can turn it on and walk away cuz it's done no professor on the on Then they might pass the exams already knowing the content. Yeah, but they might not understand under they might be able to answer the test questions and pass the test questions, but common sense or or actual practice of it, they might not have an idea.
I've had students graduating from top top schools here in the state and when it came to understanding these things, they they knew nothing. I'm not going to name the schools obviously, but they knew nothing. So, there's a joke that goes around, you know? So, you can pass a test, but still not be competent in that area especially if it's an async class. So, again, the the task force and everything that points to that this should be embedded into the curriculum or be a standalone and not be an async course that that anybody can just turn on the computer and then walk away. So, I don't understand your data and you know, the fact that if the school doesn't do number two and if the student doesn't take the standalone, they're obviously going to choose to do an async class. And I don't think that that achieves the purpose of what we've been pushing.
And I would hope that the board of the Department of Education [clears throat] would be more in line with wanting to make sure that our students leave DOE with a solid foundation for financial literacy if nothing else. >> And these courses do allow a student to leave with a solid foundation in financial literacy. >> an async self-paced? I I I tend to disagree. Okay. Any other questions? No, we're moving on. Question of the day concurrent resolution 196 and SR 184 requesting Department of Education to develop a standardized bell schedule framework for department schools and we start with >> [clears throat] >> Department of Education. Good [clears throat] afternoon, Chair, Vice Chair, Senator Hashimoto, Tammy Chun, Deputy Superintendent. The Department of Education provides comments on this resolution about mandating a standardized bell schedule at each of the different grade spans. The Department of the currently each school's bell schedule is set to meet school's needs.
The bell schedule is established through a collaborative process that is led by school administration and based on decision rules that are established in the HSTA collective bargaining agreement. Um schools bell schedules must meet the minimum instructional time that's in statute. If a collaborative process does not result in a approved bell schedule, the school would default to one of the model bell schedules that the department maintains. Um this resolution moving all schools in elementary, middle and high respectively would create a one-size-fits-all bell schedule which is not flexible to school's needs. Thank you. Okay, we don't have anyone else testifying on this measure. Can you just sit there? Anyone else wishing to testify on this measure?
Hearing none, okay, so tell me. A tiered a tiered bell bell schedule. So, a standardized schedule for elementary, standardized for middle, standardized for high school and if you read the resolution, it does say requested to consult with school administrators, teachers, collective bargaining representative, parents, students, transportation providers in the development of a standardized bell schedule framework. So, that is all talked about in this measure. So, we're not saying that you're going to or we will amend the resolution not to say that you're going to implement it, but you're going to come up with some kind of plan and proposal to be looked at and discussed because as you said in other situations and not just you yourself, Department of Education, is that things keep changing and that we keep wanting to improve and so perhaps it is time to relook at the bell schedule and cons in consult coordination with buses, the need for for drivers, the the lack of buses perhaps, school buses or transportation available to the students, all kinds of changes that going on that this is what this resolution is geared towards.
So, it's the Senator if it um we definitely are going to be relooking at the what we currently call the model bell schedule that's referenced in the collective bargaining agreement with HSTA, which meets the minimum instructional requirements as well as the collective bargaining agreements. We're definitely doing that. That's a collaborative process. Um moving all schools, all elementary, all middle and all high to the same bell schedule is a bigger um Right. bigger decision. We can have that conversation as part of the model bell schedule. >> what this resolution calls for. Thank you. Any other questions, members? Uh Senator Iashi, Tommy. Tommy. I I guess so, have there been any preliminary you know, looks at some type of unification. I know when we were having concerns over the buses, you know, your former uh facilities person um maybe two facilities people ago essentially said that you were looking at the Campbell area to to figure out some type of bell schedule adjustments, right?
But I don't know what what is the current strategy? Sure, at the complex area level, there have been discussions um led by complex area superintendents about whether coordinating bell schedules in the um in the complex area in the region would help us to get uh maximize or more uh bus routes. So that that discussion I'm just going to double-check with our student student transportation. Um they have had those discussions and made some changes in some cases. Um but that was a coordinated schedule as opposed to a um uniform standardized schedule. But I would assume that that those conversations need to flow up, right? In terms of okay, what does a master schedule look like or that's coordinated amongst the state? But if you're not having those conversations, kind of hard to like figure out what what the direction is that we should be heading. Um I think that we definitely um have been tracking those conversations about coordinating uh school schedules to help with the school bus.