In 2015, then-St. Louis Treasurer Tishaura Jones launched the College Kids Savings Account program to help public and charter school families save money for college and learn financial literacy. St. Louis Public Schools has been a partner in the program since its start.
But in December, the SLPS board voted to end its partnership with the City of St. Louis and the savings account program.
SLPS had already paused its participation before last month’s vote. It means vastly fewer city children and their families will have a College Kids savings account.
In this episode of St. Louis on the Air, we dive into the origin of the program and why it's drawn scrutiny from journalists and critics. We also explore how children’s savings accounts can help kids see higher education as an option, not just a possibility.
Guests:
- Journalist Mike Fitzgerald, who covered this story via the River City Journalism Fund.
- University of Michigan professor William Elliott III.
- St. Louis Treasurer Adam Layne, who leads the St. Louis College Kids Savings Account program.
Listen to the discussion on Apple Podcast, Spotify or Google Podcast, or by clicking the play button below.
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. Ulaa Kuziez is our production intern. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr. Send questions and comments about this story to talk@stlpr.org.
