COLUMBIA, S.C. — State Superintendent Ellen Weaver of the South Carolina Department of Education sent the Richland One School District a letter Friday declaring that it is now under fiscal caution.
In the letter, Weaver referred to the South Carolina Inspector General’s investigation conducted a week prior. The report outlines multiple procurement findings, including violations of state law.
“The more we ask questions or the more I ask questions, the district doesn't have answers,” said Richland One parent Scott Barber. It boils down to lack of transparency, lack of accountability."
Barber, a Richland One parent for nearly 15 years, noted that this isn't the first time he and other parents have seen the school district's lack of transparency.
“People have been talking about this in the R1 community for years," Barber said. "I think it's probably been five or six years. There was another group before us talking about fiscal transparency, and it wasn't until the Department of Education put them under fiscal watch that they did something about it.”
Before being under fiscal caution, Richland One was under fiscal watch. There are three levels of fiscal and budgetary concern: fiscal watch, the lowest level; fiscal caution, the intermediate level; and fiscal emergency, the most severe level, which could lead to the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) taking over the district's finances if it doesn't make changes.
When a school district is under any of the three levels, it must develop and submit a financial recovery plan to the SCDE, outlining how it plans to address and resolve the issues.
“It seems appropriate. I mean, after they have made a ton of infractions with permitting and procurement and wasting millions of dollars, it seems completely appropriate,” said State Rep. Heather Bauer.
Bauer, who has called for the state to investigate the school district's spending, believes the SCDE’s decision to escalate to fiscal caution is necessary. However, Bauer said taking over the district should be a last resort.
“That's not what we want," Bauer said. "What I want is for the district to fix their issues. It's not too late, but if they continue to go down this road of disaster, that's what is going to happen.”
Bauer said that the district should exercise caution and slow down moving forward.
“They need to fix their issues and get it right so they aren't taken over by the state department,” she said.
Richland One parents like Barber said they are glad Rep. Bauer and the SCDE are “paying attention.”
“I'm frustrated it's taken this long, given the amount of focus and evidence that has come up," Barber said. "My hope out of this is that it doesn't come to the SCDE taking over the district but that the residents of the community wake up and see what's going on and decide to do something about it when we vote in November.”
According to the letter from the SCDE to Richland One, the district has 60 days to submit a financial recovery plan indicating how it plans to correct the financial mistakes identified in the Inspector General's report.
Richland One board members do have the opportunity to discuss whether or not they will appeal the decision within the first 10 days of receiving the letter from the SCDE.