State Treasurer Curtis Loftis recognizes Tim Ray of Kelly Mill Middle as Educator of the Month
January 30, 2026
South Carolina Treasurer Curtis Loftis has recognized Tim Ray of Kelly Mill Middle School as the January Educator of the Month for the South Carolina Financial Literacy Master Teacher Program, an initiative Loftis created to increase the number of K-12 educators teaching personal finance education across the state.
“I applaud the efforts of Tim Ray and his fellow Financial Literacy Master Teachers for their continued work and commitment to teach our young people about the importance of making sound financial decisions,” Treasurer Loftis said. “This program is creating an important legacy that will enable the students and teachers who benefit from this concentrated training to employ strategies that may boost their financial well-being and potentially alleviate expensive financial problems and the stress that accompanies not managing ones resources well.”
The South Carolina Financial Literacy Master Teacher Program provides financial incentives to K-12 teachers who are experts in personal finance education and have a passion to share this knowledge with their peers. Since 2020, this ground-breaking program has provided specialized training and free personal finance curriculum resources that better enable them to promote financial literacy education in K-12 schools. It is sponsored by Future Scholar, South Carolina’s 529 College Savings Plan, and in partnership with SC Economics.
Tim Ray is a SC Program for Alternate Certification for Educators (PACE) graduate and teaches social studies at Kelly Mill Middle. Like many of those in the SC Financial Literacy Master Teacher Program, Ray came to education later in life after a successful career as a cartographer for 20 years, working for SC state government, private industry and for himself. He earned a Master of Public Administration from the University of South Carolina as well as a master’s degree in political science from the University of Central Florida. He’s happily married to a 25-year veteran of SC public schools and a proud parent of two children.
“All South Carolina citizens should be financially literate, and teaching students in school is how we accomplish this feat,” Ray explained. “Students need to understand financial literacy and how it impacts their lives and decisions as adults – from managing a personal budget, to paying for college, everyone should be taught financial literacy.”
About Future Scholar
Future Scholar, South Carolina’s 529 College Savings Plan, is administered through the State Treasurer’s Office. Recent changes at the federal level have expanded the number of qualified uses for 529 funds, making it even more flexible for families to support a lifetime of learning. For more information, visit FutureScholar.com or follow @SCStateTreasurer on Facebook. Future Scholar is self-supported and does not receive taxpayer funding.
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