SC superintendent has been on the job 8 months. What are his plans now?
Superintendent Todd Walker is moving quickly to establish a new era in Richland School District 1, after years of turmoil and state-ordered audits left the Columbia system with a fiscal caution status.
Walker, a career educator and Ohio native, most recently worked at Columbus City Schools before he was hired as the school district’s new leader in May 2025. In his eight months in South Carolina, he has won praise from school board commissioners and Columbia’s community members alike, who have lauded for his commitment to listening and his urgent problem-solving.
Walker gave his State of the District on Feb. 26 at A.C. Flora High School, where he unveiled his strategic plan for Richland 1. The plan emerged from months of listening sessions from stakeholders throughout the district.
“I have been in awe of the work that is going on in this district,” board chair Robert Lominack told the crowded auditorium. “Much of the work is as invisible as it is important. This foundation of work will pay dividends going forward.”
In an interview with The State, Walker shared insight on how his tenure has been thus far and how he expects to move forward. He spoke of transparency, equal access to resources across different district school and developing college and career pathways. Walker also emphasized taking a vested interest in the wellbeing and character development of Richland 1 students, along with their education.
“When’s there’s not an expectation that we are also concerned about the whole child ... I think that we are missing the mark,” Walker told The State. “There’s an opportunity to have a more complete picture. It’s both, not either or.”
Here are four key takeaways.
Each stakeholder matters, even the critics
“If we are truly going to optimize our impact, that only occurs with the recognition that we are all connected,” Walker told The State.
Walker said he is prioritizing stakeholders input — faith leaders, nonprofits, community group — as well as the state Department of Education, which has been consistently critical of Richland 1 since 2022.
“We’re all caught up in an inescapable network of mutuality,” Walker said. “It’s not us versus them. It’s we.”
Education starts with the adults in the room
Walker said he wants to make expectations clear for everyone in the district, from students to bus drivers, teachers and administrators. Students feel empowered when the adults in the room feel empowered.
“I believe, and research shows us, that children are going to rise and fall to the level of expectations of the adults in front of them,” Walker said.
District members will be held to expectations
“Everyone has a choice of where they want to be,” Walker told The State.
The district laid out 18 different behaviors expected of the district, like asking questions, taking ownership when problems arise and having a mindset that ask “How may I serve?”
In his strategic plan presentation, Walker said that there will be opportunities to learn and implement expectations, but then there will be accountability for those expectations.
“We want to make sure that people understand that it means something to work in Richland School District 1,” Walker said.
The past is in the past
Asked about Richland 1’s reputation and recent problems, Walker said that despite detractors, many credit the district for their success and their livelihoods. When it comes to those who don’t feel that way, he said dialogue is important.
“Is there challenge? Yes. There is gonna be challenge anywhere that we are,” Walker said. “But I think the great things that are happening, the people committed to this work, who love children and are working on behalf of children, (are) remarkable.”
