Richland 1 schools: Biggest accountability failures revealed

Richland 1 schools have repeatedly struggled with oversight and accountability, leading to major setbacks for students and taxpayers. Audits revealed serious issues like improper use of procurement cards and unapproved construction at the Vince Ford Early Learning Center, which cost the district over $350,000 due to lack of permits and led to a stop work order.

Problems deepened when the state Department of Education rejected Richland 1’s financial recovery plan and ordered another audit, citing further mismanagement and incomplete responses. These lapses haven’t been limited to finances—parents have also criticized teacher shortages, classrooms run by substitutes using online programs like Edgenuity, and poor communication about teacher retention incentives. Lawsuits over workplace retaliation and damage to nearby homes from construction add to the picture of a district facing serious, ongoing challenges in governance and transparency.

The construction site of the Vince Ford Early Learning Center in Lower Richland. By Paul Osmundson

NO. 1: RICHLAND 1 HALTS CONSTRUCTION ON $31M CENTER AFTER CONCERNS FROM SC EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

The state education department had said the center is not a school building. | Published January 19, 2024 | Read Full Story by Alexa Jurado

NO. 2: CONTROVERSIAL R1 CENTER CONSTRUCTION WAS A ‘MASSIVE FAILURE,’ SC EDUCATION DEPARTMENT SAYS

“I have been working with the district and architects on this project since May and they have shown a gross lack of patience, respect for our processes, and have been downright dishonest to me during that time.” | Published February 23, 2024 | Read Full Story by Alexa Jurado

Construction at the Vince Ford Early Learning Center is stopped on Tuesday, April 2, 2024. By Joshua Boucher

NO. 3: R1 EARLY LEARNING CENTER BROKE STATE LAW, COST TAXPAYERS MONEY, SC INSPECTOR GENERAL SAYS

The Office of the Inspector General began investigating the school district in January at the request of state education Superintendent Ellen Weaver. | Published July 25, 2024 | Read Full Story by Alexa Jurado

Ashley Jaillette has two ninth graders and a 6th grader attending Richland One schools. The teacher shortage is especially noticeable with her high schoolers who often have long-term substitutes teaching their classes. By Tracy Glantz

NO. 4: SHORT ON SC CERTIFIED TEACHERS, RICHLAND 1 STUDENTS ARE TEACHING THEMSELVES, PARENTS SAY

“Everybody has a kid who either knows somebody or themselves doesn’t have a teacher in school,” Richland 1 board member Robert Lominack said. | Published May 8, 2024 | Read Full Story by Zak Koeske

One of Ashley Jaillette’s high school students uses an instructional web-site called Edgenuity, rather than a teacher, to learn science. By Tracy Glantz

NO. 5: EASY A’S BUT NO LEARNING: COLUMBIA PARENTS BLAST ONLINE INSTRUCTION IN TEACHER-LESS CLASSES

Richland 1 students enrolled in high school classes without a certified teacher are using an online platform to teach themselves subjects like Algebra, Earth Science and Spanish with little adult oversight, parents say. | Published May 8, 2024 | Read Full Story by Zak Koeske

NO. 6: SUSPENDED WORK ON CONTROVERSIAL CHILDHOOD CENTER HAS COST RICHLAND 1 $800K. HERE’S WHY

The Vince Ford Early Learning Center had been under construction since late last year. But Richland County officials issued a stop work order in January. | Published May 3, 2024 | Read Full Story by Alexa Jurado

Dr. Craig Witherspoon Richland District One Superintendent, speaks during a meeting of the Richland District One school board on Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024 By Tracy Glantz

NO. 7: RICHLAND 1 OFFERED $2K TO RETURNING TEACHERS. IT DIDN’T TELL THEM UNTIL IT WAS TOO LATE

“I don’t think you have to be a (human resources) expert to know that that seems to be one of the most basic communications we could have sent to our teachers,” Richland 1 board member Robert Lominack said | Published May 17, 2024 | Read Full Story by Zak Koeske

Dr. Craig Witherspoon, Richland District One Superintendent discusses the Vince Ford Early Learning Center during a meeting of the Richland District One school board on Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024 By Tracy Glantz

NO. 8: RICHLAND 1 AUDITOR SAYS HE WAS TOLD TO NOT ISSUE WRITTEN REPORTS. DISTRICT LEADERS DENY IT

Richland School District 1 is one of the few districts in South Carolina with its own internal auditor, but one board member said the school board rarely listens to him. | Published June 5, 2024 | Read Full Story by Alexa Jurado

NO. 9: RICHLAND 1 CLEARED LAND FOR VINCE FORD CENTER. NOW NEARBY HOME IS ‘UNLIVABLE,’ SUIT SAYS

The resident, who has owned her home since 1997, said in a lawsuit that it had never flooded before Richland 1 cleared land for the Vince Ford Early Learning Center last year. | Published July 10, 2024 | Read Full Story by Alexa Jurado

Superintendent Dr. Craig Witherspoon speaks during a meeting of the Richland 1 School Board on Wednesday, July 10, 2024. By Joshua Boucher

NO. 10: RICHLAND 1 SAYS IT WILL TRAIN STAFF ON ‘FISCAL CAUTION.’ BUT DENIES IT MISMANAGED $31M

Richland 1 was placed under heightened financial scrutiny by the state because of a $31 million Lower Richland construction program that’s been stalled for more than a year. | Published October 16, 2024 | Read Full Story by Alexa Jurado

The Vince Ford Early Learning Center, a Richland 1 project whose construction was halted in January, from the air on Friday, August 16, 2024. By Joshua Boucher

NO. 11: SC EDUCATION DEPARTMENT REJECTS RICHLAND 1’S FINANCIAL RECOVERY PLAN, ORDERS ANOTHER AUDIT

The school district was slapped with a “fiscal caution” status in August following a scathing report by the state Inspector General, who found the district wasted money and broke state law. The district’s recovery plan, the state education department said, was deficient. | Published November 1, 2024 | Read Full Story by Alexa Jurado

The Richland 1 school district’s administration office in Columbia. S.C. By Paul Osmundson

NO. 12: IS SC EDUCATION DEPARTMENT REFUSING TO COOPERATE WITH RICHLAND 1? SCHOOL BOARD SAYS YES

“This superintendent does not want this facility to be built in the Lower Richland area, so there’s no need to even sit at this table like we don’t understand why.” | Published November 9, 2024 | Read Full Story by Alexa Jurado

NO. 13: $31 MILLION EARLY LEARNING CENTER NO LONGER NAMED FOR LONGTIME R1 BOARD MEMBER. HERE’S WHY

“I just hate to see his name and legacy be tarnished because of a permit that was not issued.” Lower Richland’s early learning center will no longer bear the name of longtime Columbia leader Vince Ford. | Published November 14, 2024 | Read Full Story by Alexa Jurado

Cheryl Harris, Richland District One board member, discusses the Vince Ford Early Learning Center during a meeting of the Richland District One school board on Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024 By Tracy Glantz

NO. 14: RICHLAND 1 SETTLED 3 LAWSUITS AGAINST FORMER BOARD MEMBER FOR OVER $150K, RECORDS SHOW

Former Richland 1 school board member Cheryl Harris was sued four times since 2014 for allegedly misusing her power. One is still pending. | Published January 8, 2025 | Read Full Story by Alexa Jurado

NO. 15: LANDSCAPER AVOIDS CONTEMPT OF COURT, SAYS RICHLAND 1 PAID $2K FOR LEARNING CENTER WORK

Blooming & Grooming Landscaping Services, now known as B&G Landscaping of South Carolina, was involved in “site stabilization” and “water mitigation” efforts at the Caughman Road site. | Published April 4, 2025 | Read Full Story by Alexa Jurado

NO. 16: RICHLAND 1 WILL DEMOLISH PARTIALLY BUILT EARLY LEARNING CENTER

The early learning center has been untouched for 15 months after construction was halted. State and county officials said the district didn’t get the needed permits. | Published May 14, 2025 | Read Full Story by Alexa Jurado

The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.