Teachers pitch new Financial Algebra course; students and board praise project-based pilot

Math-department leaders told the board on Dec. 8 that a new Financial Algebra course — developed with textbook authors and piloted this year — aims to make algebra relevant by teaching applied finance concepts and offering project-based community work.

“My name is Sue Techman. I chair the math department, and I want to introduce my team here,” the department chair said during the presentation, describing a multi-year effort to adapt material and bring the course to a wider student audience. Teachers credited outreach with the textbook’s authors and said they selected nine pilot units for the first year focused on practical skills rather than a comprehensive survey of all chapters.

In-class examples reviewed with the board included student-loan math and consolidation tradeoffs. A presenter noted the class used a current federal interest-rate figure from FederalStudentAid.gov and stated a working figure of "6.39%" in class while walking students through whether paying interest while in school saves money versus allowing interest to capitalize. The presenters emphasized practical student projects — interviews with local employers and community partners — and said the course will be refined as teachers gain experience.

Students in the pilot spoke briefly about why they enrolled and how the course feels relevant to future needs; board members praised the pedagogical approach and encouraged continued development and reporting back to the board.

Why it matters: The course is an early local implementation of state expectations for a portrait-of-a-graduate that includes financial literacy, and could become a required offering in future years.