COLUMBIA, S.C. — The Richland County School District One is facing backlash and concern from parents and students as it proceeds with the reassignment of teachers to different schools following the first nine weeks of classes.
The move, announced on Wednesday, has left many questioning the disruption it brings to students and families.
According to the district, teacher reassignments are not uncommon during the school year, and the decision is primarily based on maintaining appropriate student-teacher ratios and addressing staffing needs. They said some schools within the district have found themselves overstaffed, while others are understaffed.
On Wednesday, Veronica Milton's son Jordan saw his kindergarten teacher for the last time. He didn’t get to say goodbye. When school resumes on Monday, he'll have a different teacher.
"Kids need continuity. They need, you know, so many things change at home that they can't control, but the one thing you have is your teacher,” said Milton.
She worries about the impact of the abrupt change on her son, who has special needs, when school resumes after the district-wide fall break.
“It took so much for me to get him acclimated to come to this school and now they're going to yank his teacher away?” said Milton.
Richland One Superintendent Dr. Craig Witherspoon explained that approximately 8 or 9 teachers are being reassigned from their current school to a different one within the district. This reassignment affects seven to eight schools, including Brennen, Satchel Ford, Logan, and Hyatt Park Elementary Schools.
"We look at how the student-teacher ratio is what was anticipated and how that school was staffed from the spring in anticipation of what's going to happen in the fall. And if that doesn't bear out, either higher or lower, we make those shifts,” said Dr. Witherspoon.
The South Carolina Educators Association President Shery East said teachers sign a contract with the district, not an individual school. Therefore reassignments are contractually sound.
“The goal here was to make sure you have smaller class sizes which is better for children, but it's not better for the teacher when you move them mid-year because it's a distraction, it’s going to be terrible for a lot of people,” said East.
Milton worries it could mean a larger class size for her son.
"That's why I’m worried about him being broken up and going to another class and being one of 22 or 24. He's going to get lost in this," she said.
As of October 19, the Richland One School District has approximately 147 teacher job positions posted on its online hiring board.
Richland One's board is scheduled to meet next on October 24.