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Smith Center board trims Financial Literacy credit, adds speech requirement for current freshmen
Summary
The USD 237 Board of Education voted to change high‑school graduation requirements for the current freshman class: Financial Literacy will be a 0.5‑credit course and a 0.5‑credit Speech requirement will be added; students must meet two of 23 post‑secondary assets before graduation.
Jr.-Sr. High Principal Greg Koelsch and teacher Kelli Schmidt presented proposed changes to high‑school graduation requirements at the USD 237 (Smith Center) Board of Education meeting on Feb. 10, 2025. The board adopted the proposal by a unanimous 7–0 vote.
Under the adopted plan, the district will maintain the same total number of credits required to graduate but alter how credits are assigned: Financial Literacy will be reduced from a full (1.0) credit to a half (0.5) credit so that Speech can be offered and required as a 0.5‑credit course. The change is targeted at the current freshman class (the 2025–26 cohort). Koelsch and Schmidt told the board there are 23 post‑secondary "assets" students may pursue; students must complete two of those assets prior to graduation.
Board member Libby McDonald moved to adopt the changes; Jodi Frydendall seconded the motion and the board approved it 7–0. The board recorded that total graduation credit requirements will not increase; the alteration reorganizes existing credit allocations to add emphasis on speech and post‑secondary preparation.
What’s next: The curriculum office and counseling staff will need to update the course catalog and registration materials to reflect 0.5 Financial Literacy and the new 0.5 Speech requirement before the 2025–26 school year begins. The motion’s minutes note that Kelli Schmidt left the meeting at 8:09 p.m. during the agenda sequence.
