HEB ISD to align local graduation requirements with House Bill 27 for class of 2030
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Subscribe
Summary
District staff proposed adding a half‑credit personal financial literacy course for the class of 2030, removing local requirements for health and technology credits, and preserving a half‑credit of economics as a local requirement to ensure students still receive economics instruction.
Fritzy Odom presented proposed changes to align district graduation requirements with House Bill 27 for the class of 2030, explaining the law requires a half‑credit in personal financial literacy for students who are current eighth graders.
Odom said the district’s proposal is to add the new half‑credit of personal financial literacy and remove two local graduation requirements — a half‑credit of health and a full credit of technology — while keeping both courses as elective options. The change would increase elective credits from four to five and free schedule space so students pursuing career‑and‑technical programs (for example automotive, welding or cosmetology) have room to complete program requirements.
To preserve economics instruction, Odom proposed keeping a half‑credit of economics as a locally required course (so it would not count toward the state social‑studies block but would remain a district graduation requirement). The new social‑studies configuration would include U.S. history (1.0), government (0.5), personal financial literacy (0.5) and two remaining credits chosen among human/world geography, world history or economics.
Odom explained teacher‑certification requirements for Personal Financial Literacy (business or social‑studies certificates for grades 6–12) and suggested existing health and technology teachers could be retrained or shifted into pathway courses if necessary. The district plans to begin advertising the new requirements on Jan. 14 so junior‑high counselors can begin eighth‑grade planning.
Superintendent Harrington and trustees flagged ongoing uncertainty about standardized GPA calculations under Senate Bill 1191, which could affect weighted grades; Harrington said the district is awaiting guidance from the commissioner of education and is considering hold‑harmless approaches for students already planning around current GPA weightings.
Next steps: staff sought board feedback (no formal vote required) and will monitor commissioner guidance on GPA standardization before final implementation details are set.