The Help They Didn’t Expect

How Brevard Public Schools Found Support for a Personal Finance Mandate 

"I've never seen any publisher do that before." 

That’s what Jennifer Jolly said when Ramsey Education surprised teachers using Foundations in Personal Finance with a classroom celebration. 

For Jennifer, an administrator at Brevard Public Schools in Florida, the visit was a reminder that she wasn't doing this work alone.  

Meeting a New Mandate 

When Florida added personal finance as a graduation requirement, Jennifer helped lead the rollout across her district.  

"It kind of just fell into my lap," Jennifer said. "You're in charge of this." After nearly 30 years in education, financial literacy wasn't a subject she expected to oversee. 

As she reviewed Florida's personal finance standards, she realized students would learn skills many adults wish they'd learned sooner.  

It reminded her of something she'd heard countless times. "So many friends and adults tell me, 'I wish I knew about budgeting and paying for college,'" she said. 

Support at the Right Time 

During Brevard’s first year of teaching personal finance, educators worked to find what fit best in their classrooms. 

To get them started, Ramsey Education provided summer training that helped teachers learn the LMS. Teachers got classroom resources and were able to ask their questions about pacing and scheduing—in-person. 

For Jennifer, the highlight was when the Ramsey team traveled to Brevard and surprised teachers with gifts and encouragement. 

"It was mind-blowing," she said.  

She'd never seen a publisher take such a hands-on approach after a curriculum rollout.  

Classroom Feedback 

Throughout the first year, teachers shared encouraging feedback with Jennifer. 

"It's been very positive," she said. Teachers told her that students were connecting classroom lessons to real-life decisions in ways they never had before. 

"I think the teachers have really enjoyed it because there are so many aha moments for students," Jennifer said.  

Those moments happen when students connect classroom lessons to real financial choices they'll face after graduation. Students began connecting budgeting, college costs, and life after graduation to their own future. 

"They're realizing the choices they make today will affect their future," she said. 

A Lasting Partnership

As Brevard gets ready for another year of teaching personal finance, Jennifer says one thing stands out from the Foundations curriculum: Her teachers never felt like they were on their own.  

For her, that makes all the difference.