Students attending school in the southwest Iowa town of Treynor will learn more about financial responsibility as part of a pilot program that could have statewide potential. John Jacobsen, spokesman for the Treynor State Bank Foundation, says the quarter-million dollar gift to launch the program is a well-spent investment.

Jacobsen says, “It’s part of our responsibility to arm consumers with the facts because the more educated they become, the better decisions they can make, and the earlier they learn it, the better.” The program focuses on financial literacy and Jacobsen says if it’s successful in Treynor, it could go region-wide.

“They have a long-term vision of this program reaching far beyond state lines,” he says. “It could be a pilot project that the Department of Education will be monitoring.” Jacobsen says the goal is to build a more financially-savvy future generation through focusing on several key issues.

They include: economic forecasting, financial education, economic development, economic and monetary policy influence, financial services and support for charitable organizations. The program is slated to run five years and will be incorporated into this year’s schedule.

He says, “The state of Iowa is in the process of developing the Iowa Core Curriculum which includes incorporating financial literacy as a subset of 21st century living skills.” Treynor is in Pottawattamie County, just east of Council Bluffs.