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School board approves personal-finance instructional materials, opens 30-day public review
Summary
The Brevard Public School Board voted to adopt new K–12 science and high-school personal-finance instructional materials (including a Dave Ramsey– authored personal-finance curriculum) and opened a 30-day petition period for public review and challenges.
The Brevard Public School Board voted to approve the adoption of K–12 science materials and a high-school personal-finance curriculum, starting a 30-day public review and petition period for residents or parents to contest the selection.
Board member Janet Campbell, who outlined the adoption process during the meeting, said the district followed the statutory and board-prescribed review procedures and invited public participation at multiple stages. "Parents of a public school student or residents of Brevard County have the opportunity to contest the approved selections during the 30-day public review period on a form provided by the school board," Campbell said, reading procedural language from the agenda item.
The adoption vote followed one public comment objecting to the personal-finance curriculum on the grounds that it contains religious quotations; the commenter urged the board to consider secular alternatives. The commenter said the curriculum includes quotations from Proverbs, Luke and Matthew and argued that using such language in a required class could raise First Amendment concerns. Campbell and other board members urged members of the public to review the materials via the link on the agenda and, if desired, file a petition in accordance with the posted process.
Under the district process Campbell described, the adoption now triggers a 30-day public review window. If petitioners file timely petitions, the district will refer contested adoptions to an independent hearing officer (not a district employee or agent) for at least one open hearing; the hearing officer’s decision becomes final and is not subject to further petition review by the school board.
The district noted the instructional-materials committee that recommended the materials included teachers and community members; Campbell said the committee reviewed multiple options and the selected materials were the committee’s first choice. Several board members said the district has made the materials available in full on the agenda for public inspection.
The roll call recorded unanimous approval (ayes from board members recorded in the meeting minutes).
