Richland 2 cuts 41.5 positions as charter schools threaten $25M budget loss.

Richland School District 2 is eliminating 41.5 positions as it braces for a nearly $25 million revenue shortfall driven by expected enrollment declines. The cuts, approved by the board in a 6-1 vote, sparked a heated exchange between board members during a March 24 meeting.

Here are key takeaways:

• Of the 41.5 eliminated positions, employees in 31 roles will be transferred to other budgeted positions. Another 9.5 were already vacant, and the fate of one position is still being determined. No teaching positions were cut.

• Three charter schools are expected to open in fall 2026 within or around Richland 2 boundaries: Legacy Traditional School and Ascent Classical Academy in Columbia and the American Leadership Academy in Blythewood. Together, they could enroll more than 3,700 local students, according to predictive numbers from the South Carolina Department of Education. As of November, the district was planning for 2,700 fewer students next school year.

• Board member Monica Elkins-Scott, the lone dissenting vote, said she was “baffled” by the board’s acceptance of the cuts and called the process “a knee-jerk position.” When Vice Chair Tamika Washington raised a point of order, Elkins-Scott responded: “Only a coward would call a point of order when someone is trying to share.”

• Superintendent Kim Moore said the district’s goal is reassignment, not job loss. “We cannot plan for future growth in the sense of retaining staff based on what we think will happen,” Moore said at a March 14 town hall.

• Despite the cuts, Richland 2 — the largest school district in the Midlands with more than 28,000 students and some 4,000 employees — is still planning salary step increases for eligible employees, a higher teacher salary schedule and a cost of living adjustment for other employee groups.

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The source reporting referenced above was written and edited entirely by journalists.