After nearly 4 years of financial scrutiny, Richland 1 has a clean slate
Richland School District 1 has faced financial scrutiny by state officials and the community for nearly four years. But after three state-ordered audits and several recovery plans, the district’s reputation has been redeemed in the eyes of the South Carolina Department of Education.
On Tuesday, state Superintendent Ellen Weaver wrote Richland 1 officials, and said that following “meetings to review progress related to audit findings, corrective actions and financial recovery efforts,” the district “satisfied requirements” to be released from its “fiscal caution” status.
“I want to commend and thank our Financial Services team and all other district staff for working diligently to get us to this day,” Superintendent Todd Walker said in a news release. “We also appreciate the guidance and support we have received from State Superintendent Weaver and her staff during this process.”
School board chairman Robert Lominack said that the district is moving forward with a focus on accountability and transparency.
“Our responsibility is not only for this district to remain fiscally sound, but to ensure that every dollar is aligned with our mission to provide high-quality educational opportunities for all students,” Lominack said in a news release.
History of Richland 1’s financial problems
The Columbia school district was criticized by the South Carolina Department of Education as early as fall 2022, when former Richland 1 procurement manager Travis Braddy was indicted for embezzlement and misconduct in office after being accused of misusing $23,170.41 in public money to make personal purchases.
The Attorney General’s office said the embezzlement occurred primarily through misuse of procurement cards — or “p-cards.”
A state-ordered audit followed soon after, and Richland 1 was placed on “fiscal watch” in December 2022 by former state Superintendent Molly Spearman. The audit found “significant deficiencies and material weaknesses” that could affect the financial well-being of the district, Spearman wrote in a letter to the district.
Richland 1 attempted to appeal the decision. It was denied by the state department a few weeks later.
District spokesperson Karen York said at the time that Richland 1 did not believe the audit’s findings “were significant or rose to material impact,” and said it was the district’s own “checks and balances” that “discovered issues concerning a former employee.” York did not identify which employee.
The district’s “fiscal watch” status was escalated in August 2024 following a July 2024 investigation by the South Carolina Inspector General’s office, the second-highest level of financial and budgetary concern.
While on fiscal watch, Richland 1 broke the law and cost taxpayers more than $350,000 when it began construction on an early learning center without proper permits, according to the Inspector General’s report.
Weaver asked for investigation after Richland 1 failed to obtain permission from Richland County and the state Department of Education before beginning construction on a $31 million early learning facility on Caughman Road in Lower Richland. That project was eventually cancelled in March 2025, more than a year after a stop-work order was issued.
Another audit of the district was ordered in October 2024, after Weaver’s office rejected Richland 1’s subsequent recovery plan.
That audit, released in November 2025, found the district made vendor payments inconsistent with award contracts, at least nine capital project budgets changed by more than $100,000 in a year and school board members received “exorbitant” reimbursements.
It highlighted “significant gaps” that existed in communication, documentation, internal controls and process standardization, Weaver wrote to the district. But she also noted Richland 1’s “meaningful progress.”
“The SCDE has noted with appreciation your cooperation and growth mindset, grounded in ownership of outcomes, transparency, and continuous improvement,” Weaver wrote at the time.
