Treasurer Lemoine Posts Downloadable Financial Literacy Teacher Training Seminars on Website

April 30, 2008

(AUGUSTA) – State Treasurer David Lemoine today announced the public release of web-based financial literacy seminars designed to assist Maine K-12 teachers in incorporating personal finance education into their classrooms. Maine Learning Results now include personal finance benchmarks for Maine students, and these free seminars are designed to help teachers reach those goals.

Recorded in November 2007, the seminars were produced by the Office of the State Treasurer in conjunction with Maine Public Broadcasting Network.

“I am pleased to post these free seminars for use by Maine teachers and by the general public,” said Treasurer Lemoine. “I hope that viewers will find the content useful and that the seminars will be a resource for teachers as they strive to give their students the tools needed to enter adulthood as capable managers of their personal finances.”

The seminars were attended by teachers who volunteered from around Maine and were led by national experts from the National Council on Economic Education and the Jumpstart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy. The Office of the State Treasurer worked closely with the Maine Department of Education to design the seminars in accordance with grade-specific financial literacy learning benchmarks.

Personal financial literacy has gained widespread attention in the wake of the current mortgage crisis. The Maine Legislature has taken action to provide Maine people with better education to manage their personal finances. Rep. Charles Priest (D – Brunswick) sponsored the enabling legislation for the financial literacy seminars posted today. In addition, a resolution sponsored by Rep. Marilyn Canavan (D – Waterville) created the Council on Financial Literacy, which administers a matching grant program using limited public non-tax funds to support financial literacy programs that benefit Maine residents.

To download the seminars for free, visit the TeachME Financial Literacy page of the Treasurer’s website at http://www.maine.gov/treasurer/teachmefinlit . DVD copies of individual seminars are also available for $7.50 by contacting the Maine State Library at 287-5617.

For more information on the Treasurer’s financial literacy activities, contact Kevin Thurston, director of special projects, at 624-7476 or at kevin.thurston@maine.gov.