WEEK OF JUNE 12, 2025
VOLUME 54 | ISSUE 1
$2
GETTING TO KNOW EACH OTHER Schools consider financial literacy curriculum
New Middle Schoolers meet up at camp P5
New law asks what teens must learn about handling money BY SUZIE GLASSMAN SUZIE@COTLN.ORG
Forget balancing a checkbook. Today’s teens need to know how to avoid identity theft, decode a credit score and figure out if that “buy now, pay later” plan is actually worth it. With a new state law requiring all Colorado high school students to complete a course in financial literacy beginning with students in the 9th grade on or after Sept. 1, 2026, educators now face a practical challenge: how do you design a course that prepares 21st-century teens to make smart financial choices in a world of skyrocketing rents, digital wallets, student loans and TikTok stock tips? The law, House Bill 25-1192, mandates a semester-long course in personal financial literacy for every public school student, beginning with the class of 2028. But it leaves the details up to local school districts, many of which are still figuring out what today’s students need most: the basics of budgeting and saving, yes, but also how to navigate the gig economy, manage online spending and protect themselves from increasingly sophisticated financial scams.
Idaho Springs church thanks fire authority Zion Lutheran Church bell repair efforts get a lift from firefighters Clear Creek Fire Authority Firefighters Dan Noell, Donal Koogle and Jeremy Jones.
BY CHRISTOPHER KOEBERL CHRIS@COTLN.ORG
When congregation members of the Zion Lutheran Church at 1921 Virginia St. in Idaho Springs determined it was time to replace the rope to the iconic church bell, there was a problem. The bell tower is at least 30 feet up, according to Council President Eric Nordine. “It was too high for us to be comfortable to replace,” Nordine said.
What the law requires, and what it doesn’t
While the law sets a content requirement, it allows schools to integrate the financial literacy standards into an existing course rather than create a new standalone class. But, students must understand and practice filling out the federal or state fi-
SEE CHURCH BELL, P10
SEE LITERACY, P7
CURRENTS 7 | VOICES 12 | LIFE 16 | PUZZLES: 20
Thank You!
for voting us Best Realtor/Real Estate Company! Josh Spinner - Broker, Owner Local Expert since 1999 25 years experience in Clear Creek County
CLEARCREEKCOURANT.COM • A PUBLICATION OF THE COLORADO TRUST FOR LOCAL NEWS CO
M
ER
3/4 Acre C-2 in I.S.
$350k Duplex
PE CI
ND
AL
PE IN
SO
LD
2 Units + Pond & Creek!
G
ND
IN
3.4 Acre. Casino Zoned
3 Bedroom SO
Call for Listing Specials
303.567.1010 Cell: 303.825.2626 joshuaspinner@gmail.com
M
LD
SO
C1 zoned in I.S.
LD
G