COLUMBIA, S.C. — Officials from Richland One say they plan to go back and get the proper permits and approval to resume construction on the Vince Ford Early Learning Center following an inspector general report that found violations of state law with the project.
Superintendent Dr. Craig Witherspoon said there is a still a need for early education in Richland One, citing growing home-starts and programs at capacity.
"There is a need for early-learning classrooms," said Witherspoon. "We’ve said at the beginning and we say now that we are committed to the facility, there is a need for it and we wanna do it correctly and make sure permit wise and all those things, given the report, that all those things are in place."
A report from the Inspector General said while the funding of the project didn’t violate any rules, the district’s carried out “substantive construction activities” without the required permits. Some of those violations led to an unnecessary waste of money during the early phase of construction. The report instructed the district to go back and get the approval from the necessary offices, including the South Carolina Department of Education and the South Carolina Department of Social Services.
State Representative Heather Bauer was one of those who raised concerns about the project earlier this year. She said she believes there are bigger issues that need to be addressed in Richland County schools.
"The more we waste away dollars and waste away dollars and make errors like this these huge fiascos, it just hurts our children," said Bauer. "They’re not college career or military ready even. Almost 45% or more. We have some of the highest teacher vacancies in the state."
The district maintains that it will move forward with the project, with next steps being permits from the Department of Education. The SCDOE said in a statement to News19 Friday it will "remain in communication with the Office of the Inspector General for any needed clarification that will be helpful in determining appropriate next steps that protect taxpayers and serve the interest of all Richland One students."
According to the district's website, completion of the project is now expected by mid-year 2025 once permitting concerns are resolved.