Richland 1 wants to restart early learning center construction following SC investigation
Richland School District 1 is taking steps to restart construction on its early learning center in Lower Richland after a state investigation into the project said the district broke state law when it started construction last year.
The Richland 1 school board held a special board meeting on Friday to discuss recommendations from the state Inspector General’s Office that were released July 25.
“The district re-emphasizes its intention to build (the) Vince Ford Early Learning Center in a fully compliant, efficient and expedited fashion, and will utilize the SIG’s report as guidance to advance the project with appropriate approvals and in cooperation with all stakeholders,” the district said in a statement.
The board voted to ratify a contract with construction services in a 4-2 vote, with board members Barbara Weston and Robert Lominack voting against.
Back in December, the South Carolina Department of Education refused to issue a permit for the Vince Ford Early Learning Center, a facility planned for Caughman Road. Because the center was initially intended to serve children as young as infants, it could not be considered a school, the Education Department said.
Richland 1 had already begun construction by then, and when Richland County officials caught on, they issued a stop work order. State Superintendent Ellen Weaver then asked the state Inspector General to investigate the project.
The department denied the district a permit again in February when the district attempted to shift the age range to preschoolers through second grade, citing the ongoing investigation.
Eight months later, without the necessary permits or approval to resume construction, the site lies in wait. In the last month, Richland 1 has been hit with two separate lawsuits from neighbors, who say that the district’s negligence in maintaining the property has caused stormwater to damage to their homes.
Richland 1 is beginning to restart the permitting process with the state Department of Education’s Office of School Facilities, Superintendent Craig Witherspoon said. But the district wants to make sure it has their ducks in a row. As it stands, Witherspoon said the building will be meant for 3-year-old preschool through second grade, though he said that might change.
“What we don’t want to do is confuse programming with the facility,” Witherspoon said. “Our intention is to build a building.”
The Inspector General’s report noted that the district’s public 3K and 4K programs, and similar programs statewide, are noncompliant if they are operating without oversight from the Department of Social Services.
But the district’s director of early child education, Rhonda Wiley, said that certain 4K programs designated for at-risk students have been determined as exempt from DSS oversight. The district will otherwise continue to ensure those classrooms comply with the Department of Education, and work with the state legislature to determine which programs need DSS supervision.
The district addressed other issues presented by the Inspector General. Bob Grant, Richland 1’s chief operations officer, said that while the the Inspector General said some $300,000 was wasted because the project was halted, that money would have been spent on it anyway. The district previously told The State in May that $813,000 was spent on the construction site since Richland County issued a stop work order in January.
The board also discussed its recent “fiscal caution” designation from the state Department of Education. They have not yet decided whether to appeal.
