I have a suggestion. Let's stop trying to sell math -- and all the other subjects -- as material kids will need for employment. Most kids are smart enough to know that is bunk anyway. For example, I worked as a computer programmer from post-college to willful unemployment.
Did I use math concepts in my work? Yes! But not typically the ones we push in high school math classes. I used a lot of set theory, a lot of combinatorics, some mathematical logic, algebra, and some ideas from the "foundations" of math. No calculus, no geometry (except the concepts of axiom and proof). A bit of factoring. And of course Turning's concept of a "machine" as an ordered 7-tuple (or 4- or 6-tuple).
What I as a programmer primarily gained from math was a style of thinking and some techniques for conceptualization. Some of the people I worked with had similar math-based skills but others did not. Besides, the job of "computer programmer" is essentially passe now; the title is still used but the people they hire are mostly either packaged software superusers or low-grade hackers.
This does not mean we should not teach math. It means we should teach math and German and history and Shakespeare for the real benefits these subjects offer to students. For example, reading, writing, painting, and thinking contribute objectively to the "health span" of adults.
People with the highest lifetime enrichment developed Alzheimer's disease at an average age of 94, compared with 88 for those with the lowest level of enrichment - more than a five-year delay.
[From "Reading and writing can lower dementia risk by almost 40%, study suggests"; The Guardian; February 11, 2026]
Maybe you could round up some grants for teaching Chinese language or for playing the shawn based on the fact studying these topics will have direct benefits for the students' entire lives. So too would projective geometry and decision theory. Also the poetry of Robert Frost, European archeology, welding, and horticulture.
In actual reality I am not convinced the subjects a student studies in high school (or in college) matters as much as how seriously the subjects are considered and how widely the student is encouraged to explore.