New Haven schools launch districtwide personal-finance program with Connecticut Financial Scholars

New Haven Public Schools announced Monday that it will implement a districtwide personal finance curriculum through a partnership with Connecticut Financial Scholars, Superintendent Eva M. Negron said. The district said the program meets Connecticut’s new personal-finance education mandate a full year ahead of schedule and will be delivered at no cost to the district.

The announcement matters because financial education is designed to give students practical skills for managing money, planning for college and careers, and sharing a common financial vocabulary with families, district and partner leaders said.

Negron said the district is “proud to be the first district in the state to implement high quality, district wide personal finance education at this level.” She credited Monica Joyner, the district’s supervisor of mathematics, for leading the effort. Negron said the program is supported by a “$300,000 multiyear commitment from Western Bank and other generous partners” and described the rollout as a no-cost public–private collaboration.

Monica Joyner said the curriculum aligns with the district’s theory of action and called it “challenging, outcomes based, and built for long term impact.” Joyner and other district leaders highlighted teacher preparation: 14 teachers attended two full days of professional development over the summer to learn the new material.

Theresa Purdy, a business education teacher at Cooperative High School, told the board the lessons are practical and accessible and that students are already applying concepts — comparing college costs, discussing financial aid with families and learning about credit and loans. Nancy Kale, executive director of Connecticut Financial Scholars, said the organization is working across all nine district public schools and that the program includes paid summer internships, guest-speaker opportunities and adult financial-empowerment workshops for families at no cost.

State Treasurer Eric Russell, a New Haven native, attended and said the curriculum supports other statewide efforts such as Connecticut Baby Bonds and CHET 529 programs by encouraging early saving and wealth-building knowledge. Russell said the initiative complements the treasurer’s office work on financial education.

Board members praised the rollout. Several members said they welcomed the family workshops and the paid internships, and they emphasized the program’s potential to build long-term financial skills for students and households.

The district described the announcement as an official launch; board members did not take a separate vote on the partnership during the meeting. District staff said additional information, including how families can attend workshops and how community members can volunteer or host internships, will be provided at back-to-school events and on the district website.