State Treasurer Curtis Loftis recognizes William Smyly of Colleton County High School as Educator of the Month

South Carolina Treasurer Curtis Loftis has recognized Colleton County School District’s William Smyly of Colleton County High School in Walterboro as the South Carolina Financial Literacy Master Teacher Program’s Educator of the Month for March.

“Personal finance education plays an important part in preparing our students for future success,” Treasurer Loftis said. “We appreciate our master teachers, like William Smyly, who enhance our young people’s understanding of money management and help them avoid behaviors that are harmful to financial well-being.”

Smyly holds a bachelor’s degree in business management from USC Aiken and an MBA from Western Governors University. He went on to earn his teaching license through the South Carolina Department of Education’s PACE Program. Smyly has taught at Colleton County High School for six years and recently received Project-Based Learning and Online Teaching endorsements from VirtualSC. In addition to serving as an educator, he is also a licensed real estate professional.

“Students today are expected to enter the real world with skills and knowledge that make them competitive in the job market,” says Smyly. “It’s our job as educators to train them for the future, and one way we can do that is by teaching them basic money management techniques and career skills so they can make better financial decisions in life, from college planning to buying their first home and everything in between.”

The South Carolina Financial Literacy Master Teacher Program provides incentives to K-12 teachers who are experts in the area of financial literacy and have a desire to teach professional development workshops to other educators in their schools and districts. Through the program, participating teachers have access to specialized training and financial literacy curriculum resources that better enable them to promote financial literacy education in K-12 schools.

Sponsored by Future Scholar, South Carolina’s 529 College Savings Plan, and in partnership with SC Economics, this statewide financial literacy initiative aims to increase teacher support and involvement in incorporating personal finance education into the curriculum.

About Future Scholar

Future Scholar, South Carolina’s 529 College Savings Plan, is administered through the State Treasurer’s Office. For more information, visit FutureScholar.com or follow @SCStateTreasurer on Facebook. Future Scholar is self-supported and does not receive taxpayer funding.