Richland School District One Superintendent Craig Witherspoon addresses a report by the South Carolina inspector general Thursday, July 25, 2024, at the district’s Columbia headquarters, which found the district had not followed state and local laws when it started construction of a new childcare center. (Jessica Holdman/SC Daily Gazette)
COLUMBIA – The South Carolina inspector general found a Columbia-area school district violated state and local laws, exposing itself to liability and wasting taxpayer dollars, when it started construction of a childcare center without the necessary approvals.
State Inspector General Brian Lamkin, in his report , referred to “mismanagement” by Richland School District One, but his office’s investigation found no evidence rising to the level of criminal or fraudulent activity.
Now that the review is complete, district leaders said, the district will work with the state Department of Education in hopes of restarting work on the proposed Vince Ford Early Learning Center. The district was forced to pause construction on the project, located south of Columbia, earlier this year.