Around 85% of seniors have still not completed the personal finance course and its final exam. Students will not be allowed to graduate until they finish the course. Starting next quarter, students who have not completed it will be put on student conduct, which means no senior ball or picnic as well as no graduation.

According to personal finance proctor Jon Coleman, this has been the highest number of seniors not taking the personal finance course. In the past, it’s only been a few students. 

“[Student conduct and not graduating] would be pretty traumatizing for a whole lot of people,” Coleman said.

Coleman said he believes the school is doing kids a disservice by only teaching personal finance in an online course.

“This is what we should be teaching in economics,” Coleman said. “I don’t use supply and demand or PPC curves in my real life. What I need to know is how to balance my checkbook, how to finance a car, how to pay rent,” Coleman said. 

Coleman said that the self-teaching aspect could be why so few complete it.

“That’s part of the problem. It’s a good idea, but the way it got put together it’s not coming out so well,” Coleman said. “It’s just getting tired, so it needs a refresh if nothing else… .I think [teaching it in the classroom] would be the most effective. You’d learn a lot more. It would be a lot more relevant to you as a young adult.”