"If you're involved with or concerned about students learning how to handle money successfully you've come to the right place."

Texas Jump$tart, a non-profit coalition, believes that young Texans need financial literacy to make informed decisions.

Mission Statement:
Foster the improvement of financial literacy for Texans, K-young adult.

Purpose Statement:
Encourage and promote the teaching of financial literacy.

Texas Jump$tart Coalition's goals:
Raise public awareness of Financial Literacy.
Enhance professional development of Texas educators.
Promote membership, communication and cooperation among coalition members.
Establish firm organizational structure.
Develop a list of corporate sponsors to support the coalition.
Support personal finance legislation that develops financial literacy for all Texas schools.

Jump$tart Launches 2008 Survey of High-School Seniors' Personal Financial Literacy
The Jump$tart Coalition, with countless volunteers from its 48 affiliated state coalitions, has begun the process of sampling schools and recruiting teachers to administer the 2008 Survey of Personal Financial Literacy Among High School Students. The survey will be conducted through the fall and winter. Results of the survey will be released in April 2008, during Financial Literacy Month. The Survey is generously sponsored, once again, by the Merrill Lynch Foundation.

The Survey is conducted every two years to assess the personal finance literacy of high school seniors. Schools are randomly selected to participate in the survey. Texas high schools included in the sample will be notified in November 2007 with a request to participate in the survey. Results of the 2008 Survey will be released at a press conference on April 9, 2008, at the Federal Reserve Board in Washington, DC.

State Board of Education approves materials for Personal Financial Literacy - HB 492
Signed into law by Gov. Rick Perry, HB 492 by Rep. Beverly Woolley (R-Houston), requires school districts and open-enrollment charter schools to incorporate instruction in personal financial literacy into any course meeting a requirement for an economics credit under Section 28.025, using materials approved by the State Board of Education (SBOE).

The bill requires these entities to incorporate instruction in personal finance beginning with the 2006-2007 school year. The State Board of Education will adopt Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for a course including instruction in personal financial literacy in one or more courses for high school graduation no later than the 2008-2009 school year.

A list of materials that have been approved by the State Board of Education for HB 492 can be found in the Press Room - Press Releases section of this website.

Program Requirements

Materials approved were required to include any of the following areas of instruction: understanding interest; avoiding and eliminating credit card debt; understanding the rights and responsibilities of renting or buying a home; managing money to make the transition from renting a home to home ownership; starting a small business; being a prudent investor in the stock market and using other investment options; beginning a savings program and planning for retirement; bankruptcy; the types of bank accounts available to consumers and the benefits of maintaining a bank account; balancing a checkbook; the types of loans available to consumers and becoming a low-risk borrower; understanding insurance; and/or charitable giving.

Senate Bill 851 - Districts chosen to participate in Pilot Program
Senate Bill 851, 79th Texas Legislature directs the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to "establish and implement a financial literacy pilot program to provide students in participating school districts with the knowledge and skills necessary as self-supporting adults to make critical decisions relating to personal financial matters," and to "develop an application and selection process for selecting school districts to participate in the program." The agency may select not more than 25 school districts to participate in the program.

Collaboration between the State Securities Board, the Office of Consumer Credit Commissioner, and the TEA resulted in the identification of curriculum materials to be used in the pilot. The no cost materials are Money Smart, a program of the FDIC, and Financial Literacy 2010.

The following districts were selected to participate in the Financial Education Pilot:

Austin ISD, San Antonio ISD, El Paso ISD, Hurst Euless & Bedford ISD, Bryan ISD, Greenwood ISD, Duncanville ISD, Charter:North Houston HS for Business, Charter:San Antonio School for Inquiry, Plainview ISD, El Campo ISD, Dumas ISD, Giddings ISD, Olton ISD, Kountze ISD, Royse City ISD, Hardin Jefferson ISD, Floresville ISD, Hallettsville ISD, Bastrop ISD, Woodsboro ISD, Seminole ISD, Stafford Municipal School District, and Big Spring ISD.

The training for teachers and Education Service Center Social Studies Specialists in these specific districts took place on Wednesday, June 28, 2006, at the Federal Reserve in Dallas. Don Raschke of the State Securities Board and Steven O'Shields of the Office of Consumer Credit Commissioner conducted the training.

The Texas Credit Union Foundation was awarded a grant of $40,500 from the National Credit Union Foundation to partner with agencies above to conduct the pilot program.

The Texas Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy and its members/partners will seek to work with state agencies to offer curriculum and training options.

The Texas Jump$tart Coalition is a proud affiliate of the National Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy.  The National Jump$tart Coalition, based in Washington, D.C., was first convened in 1995 and consists of over 200 organizations committed to improving the financial literacy of America's youth.  For more information, visit their website at www.jumpstart.org.