Richland 1 has a new superintendent. Here’s who will lead Columbia schools
Richland School District 1 has a new superintendent.
Todd Anthony Walker, the chief curriculum and instruction officer for Columbus City Schools in Columbus, Ohio, will replace current Superintendent Craig Witherspoon.
The school board voted unanimously on the hire. Contract negotiations are pending, but Walker is set to begin a three-year term on July 1 and will be paid an annual salary of $235,000.
Walker, who holds three degrees from The Ohio State University, has 25 years of experience in Ohio schools. He began as an English teacher in 2000 and previously served as a campus director and principal of the Columbus Africentric Early College PK-12 campus. He also previously taught at college level, according to his resume. He also has a law degree.
“On behalf of this Board, I would like to thank our entire community for the engagement they have provided to us throughout this process,” board chair Robert Lominack said in a news release. “It has been invaluable and has demonstrated how much our stakeholders care about this district. I am proud of this Board and how we arrived at this decision, and I know this entire Board is excited to get to work with our next superintendent.”
At a community meet-and-greet May 19, Walker said that if he were chosen as the district’s next leader, he would create a context-specific vision for Richland 1 that included all stakeholders.
“We’ve all heard the phrase, ‘a rising tide lifts all boats,’” Walker said. “I believe that that rising tide is leadership.”
Richland 1 received 42 applications for the superintendency from candidates in 12 states, according to a news release. Seven were selected for interviews.
The district decided to part ways with current Superintendent Craig Witherspoon last fall. He has served the district for 10 years.
The school board voted unanimously on a mutual separation agreement in November following school board elections. As part of the agreement, Witherspoon will receive a full year’s pay — his last contract extension raised his salary to $258,121 — plus accrued compensation for annual leave and six months of health insurance coverage. His last day is June 30.
Recent district controversies
The new leader will enter a district that has faced scrutiny from community members and state officials for some time, particularly in the last 18 months.
Richland 1 was placed on “fiscal watch” by the state Department of Education, the least severe financial warning, after a state-ordered audit revealed faults with the district’s procurement card policy in late 2022.
In October 2023, Witherspoon and the district administration came under fire after 11 teachers were abruptly reassigned nine weeks into the school year. Richland 1 officials were adamant that such transfers were “not uncommon,” and were made to maintain ideal student-teacher ratios in each district school. The reassignments were condemned by several Richland County legislators.
The district’s efforts to build a $31 million early learning center in Lower Richland have also been heavily criticized.
The state Department of Education refused to issue a permit for the center in December 2023 because the building was intended to serve children as young as infants. The age range meant the building could not be considered a school, the Education Department said. The district kept building anyway.
In January 2024, the district announced that it would stop construction. Reporting by The State revealed that it was due to a stop work order issued by Richland County, rather than of the district’s own accord. Education Department officials called the project a “massive failure” and the district “downright dishonest,” according to emails obtained by The State last year.
The controversy led to an investigation by the state Inspector General, which condemned the district’s work on the center and its procurement practices. Richland 1 had broken state law and wasted taxpayer money, the Inspector General said. Weeks after the July report, state education Superintendent Ellen Weaver placed Richland 1 on “fiscal caution,” the second most severe level of concern by her department.
The district was required to submit a recovery plan. But the state Education Department rejected the plan and ordered another audit. More than six months later, the audit’s current status is unclear.
In March, the new school board decided to terminate the early learning center project, and in April, it voted to demolish the partially-built structure on Caughman Road. To date, at least $7 million has been spent on the center.
This story was originally published May 23, 2025 at 4:00 PM.
