Day 78: Celebrating another new law

Carly Flandro | 03/23/2023

For the second day in a row, State Superintendent Debbie Critchfield celebrated one of her bills becoming law.

Today, she attended the ceremonial signing of a bill that requires all Idaho students to pass a financial literacy class in order to graduate — an idea she’s touted since she was on the campaign trail. Critchfield worked with Rep. James Petzke, R-Meridian, to develop the legislation.

“Learning to read and write is the foundation for success,” Gov. Brad Little wrote on Twitter after the signing ceremony. “Now, thanks to House Bill 92, Idaho students will be not only literate but FINANCIALLY literate.”

Gov. Brad Little signs the financial literacy bill into law. Debbie Critchfield and Rep. James Petzke, both standing to his right, worked together on the legislation.

The financial literacy class or classes must include instruction on the following:

The influence of money on human behavior
The various types of bank accounts
How to evaluate various investment options and calculate net worth
Various types of credit/how credit ratings are determined
How to finance a college education
How to evaluate various types of insurance
The purpose of the tax system and how it relates to each citizen and their income
How to build a budget
Modern consumer skills, tools, and practices

And plenty of meetings, too

But it wasn’t all celebrations. Critchfield also attended a string of meetings throughout the day:

Her weekly meeting with Chief of Staff Greg Wilson
A meeting with Chief Deputy Superintendent Ryan Cantrell
A meeting with members of her executive team to discuss possible upgrades and general office improvements at the SDE
An interview with Chief Financial Officer Gideon Tolman
A meeting with staff members to discuss middle and high school math
A meeting with Matt Freeman, executive director of the State Board of Education

Carly Flandro

Carly Flandro reports from her hometown of Pocatello. Prior to joining EdNews, she taught English at Century High and was a reporter for the Bozeman Daily Chronicle. She has won state and regional journalism awards, and her work has appeared in newspapers throughout the West. Flandro has a bachelor’s degree in print journalism and Spanish from the University of Montana, and a master’s degree in English from Idaho State University. You can email her at [email protected] or call or text her at (208) 317-4287.