Is largest Midlands school district cutting staff? What the superintendent said
Is Richland School District 2 experiencing job cuts?
At a town hall on March 14, community members were encouraged to submit questions to be answered by the superintendent.
One question asked: “We know that population is steadily growing, and especially here due to the Scout Plant. So, what is the plan for schools if enrollment does not drop? Why reduce staff now with intended growth on the horizon?”
Moore said it was a good question.
Richland 2 is the largest school district in the Midlands with more than 28,300 students, according to the latest enrollment data provided by the state Department of Education. The district has grown by some 1,000 students in the last decade. Growth in Midlands, and especially an influx in housing and development in northern Richland County along Interstate 20, has led the district to adjust attendance lines in order to accommodate elementary schools students in the region.
But Moore explained that more than 60% of the district’s budget relied on state funding. State funding is directly tied to student enrollment.
“We cannot plan for future growth in the sense of retaining staff based on what we think will happen,” Moore told a group gathered in the Blythewood High School auditorium. “We are funded based on the number of students that enroll in school at the beginning of the school year.”
Moore said that while the district tracks growth, works with a demographer and stays abreast of developments out of county council, Richland 2 can’t base staffing decision on that information.
“There’s no guarantee that those students will actually come into our school district,” Moore said.
Moore didn’t plainly say whether the district was cutting staff or going through layoffs. However, she did say staffing has to be based on the number of students that walk through the door every day.
“We do make adjustments to our staffing guidelines based upon the needs that we see in our schools,” Moore said.
While growth is imminent, so is the expansion of the charter school industry in South Carolina.
The American Leadership Academy, a K-12 charter school network, bought a sprawling piece of Blythewood property in 2025 and is slated to open this coming fall. Charter Institute at Erskine superintendent Cameron Runyan told a legislative committee that it was expected to be the “largest brick-and-mortar charter school in state history,” with the capacity for 3,000 students. And it’s located within Richland 2, just miles from Bethel-Hanberry Elementary School, Westwood High School and Blythewood High School.
Some Richland 2 families could instead opt for the charter school instead of a public education. At a January board meeting, Moore said it would impact budget planning.
