COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) – The South Carolina State Secretary of Education is calling on one of South Carolina’s largest school districts to stop construction on its controversial early education site.
Richland County’s First School District was placed under increased financial concerns by the state earlier this month after an investigation found the school board violated the law and wasted money on the Vince Ford Early Learning Center project.
In a letter sent Thursday by South Carolina Superintendent Ellen Weaver, Richland One said that in order to “protect the remaining taxpayer assets as much as possible,” it should not proceed with construction of the Vince Ford Early Learning Center.
Richland One Superintendent Craig Witherspoon said during a press conference last month that the district still plans to resume construction on the project.
In his scathing letter, Weaver accused Richland One of a “pattern of disregard for legal authority” and wrote that it was “difficult to imagine that it would make financial sense” to proceed with construction of the center.
Richland One is currently under budgetary foreclosure — the second of three levels of budgetary foreclosure the state can impose on a county. If construction on the project continued without the county essentially having to start over, Weaver threatened to place Richland One under budgetary emergency.
During a financial emergency, Weaver may recommend that the SC Board of Education take over the district’s financial operations. Once a district reaches the third and highest budgetary stage, financial emergency, the state may take over the district’s finances.
“Build now, figure it out later”
The state’s letter says Richland One’s approach to construction is “build now, figure it out later.” Weaver’s letter shows that the district failed to specify the building’s intended purpose and that the district has “a general willingness to say whatever it takes” to build the early learning center.
The state inspection referenced in Weaver’s letter found that the district had violated the law when it began construction on the project without proper permits and wasted more than $350,000.
Witherspoon said last month the district disagreed with the state inspector general’s report that Richland One was a waste of money and argued the learning center was necessary.
“There is a need and we want to do it right and make sure that in terms of permits and all those things, given the report, everything is in place so that we can complete the facility,” Witherspoon said.
Weaver’s letter contradicts Witherspoon, saying there is no need for the Vince Ford Early Learning Center. Her letter cites declining enrollment numbers at Richland One and a lack of research analyzing the area’s needs.
“The department is not aware of any studies on facility utilization or the capacity of the district’s current infrastructure that would justify the district’s need for the (Vince Ford Early Learning Center) based on enrollment trends, whether it is to serve as a daycare or a school,” Weaver’s letter states.
As of Thursday, the district also had not provided an estimate of the financial cost of the Vince Ford Early Learning Center, which Weaver cited as evidence that district officials are not considering building the facility.
Alleged problems with rainwater
So far, two residents near the construction site have filed a lawsuit against the district for failing to properly dispose of rainwater at the construction site.
One military family said the construction project has caused ongoing flooding on their property “with no end in sight.” Another woman suing the district called conditions in her home “uninhabitable,” the lawsuits state.
Weaver’s letter said the district must “work with appropriate authorities in Richland County to investigate and mitigate the alleged stormwater problems at the site.”
Approval problems
Construction on the project was halted in January after Weaver said the district had failed to obtain the necessary permits for the project.
The findings of the South Carolina Inspector General’s report, released on July 25, “confirmed” the Department of Education’s original concerns.
A timeline in the inspector general’s report shows the district withdrew a rezoning request to Richland County in August 2023. That meant the district could not care for children at the facility as the board intended, according to Weaver’s letter.
The district’s architect then relabeled the rooms on the Vince Ford Early Learning Center plans without the board’s approval, “apparently obscuring the intended use of the building and therefore not having to seek rezoning as would otherwise be required by law,” Weaver said in his letter.
“Since May 8, 2023, there have been no significant changes to the original drawings other than the renaming of rooms. Simply renaming rooms to ‘classroom’ or ‘health room’ does not constitute a public school building under this area of law,” Weaver’s letter states.
In his letter Thursday, Weaver also reiterated the department’s December decision that Richland One, in its current form, was outside the scope of what the department could approve.
While Richland One can still go to the Richland County Planning and Development Commission and reapply for the necessary permits and zoning, Weaver does not support that course of action.
Aaron Bishop, chairman of the school board, told WIS News in response to a request for comment, “The board has received the letter from State School Superintendent Ellen Weaver and we will discuss the letter at our next meeting.”
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