MILWAUKEE, Wis. — Starting with next fall's school year, the brass|STUDENT PROGRAM will help 35,000 junior and senior high school students learn the money skills they need before graduation thanks to a donation from Wisconsin credit unions. A partnership between CUs and public schools was announced here last week during the Wisconsin Credit Union League 73rd annual convention by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Elizabeth Burmaster.

Bryan Sims, brass|MEDIA founder and CEO, was on hand to make the announcement with Burmaster and WCUL President/CEO Brett Thompson. Thompson said that brass takes the state's existing financial education efforts a step further because of its peer-to-peer connection. "The concept that younger people can relate to what they learn because it comes from another young person is hard to match, and brass brings that to the table."

Sims recently completed a tour of five New York High Schools in six cities sponsored by individual credit unions in the Empire State, and hopes to extend the brass program to other states as well.