State Treasurer Curtis Loftis Recognizes Kelly Brooks of Dreher High School as Educator of the Month

Ms. Kelly Brooks of Dreher High School, January Educator of the Month

South Carolina Treasurer Curtis Loftis has recognized Richland County School District One’s Kelly Brooks of Dreher High School as the South Carolina Financial Literacy Master Teacher Program’s Educator of the Month for January.

“We all must make financial choices in life. Without the proper financial education, people often lack an understanding of the long-range consequences of poor financial decisions,” Treasurer Loftis said. “We are thankful for Ms. Brooks and like-minded educators who recognize that financial literacy is the key to strong financial health.”

A graduate of Dreher High School, Brooks began working with young people at her alma mater as both a track and field coach and an instructional assistant. She went on to earn her undergraduate degree in finance from South University and began her career as an educator in the alternative teaching program. The Columbia native now teaches Business Education at Dreher.

“I firmly believe it is important to educate students about the value of budgeting and financial planning, which will allow them to make better decisions regarding personal finances upon completion of high school,” says Brooks. “Armed with the right information, students will be able to make fiscally sound decisions about the path they should take in pursuit of higher learning.”

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.