COLUMBIA, S.C. — Richland One is separating employment with Superintendent Dr. Craig Witherspoon, effective June 30, 2025.
Richland One Board of School Commissioners’ Chairman, Dr. Aaron Bishop, announced Witherspoon’s departure at the end of Tuesday's meeting.
The board agreed to honor Witherspoon’s previously negotiated end date of June 30th, 2026, thus guaranteeing the superintendent would receive an extra 12 months of pay at the end of his employment.
Bishop said in a prepared statement that Witherspoon can choose to leave before next June by providing 30 days written notice. The board can also choose to cut ties Witherspoon early, with a 60-day notice of their own.
No matter when his employment ends, the superintendent will receive the extra 12 months of pay.
Witherspoon’s last reported salary was $258,121 per year.
Bishop thanked the superintendent for his leadership.
“The board wants to use this moment to thank Dr. Witherspoon for almost a decade of tireless service to the district. We will continue to move Richland One forward with excellence and leadership in education,” Bishop told those in attendance.
During his tenure, Witherspoon worked to improve Richland One’s school ratings and oversaw several difficult moments for the district, including misuse of procurement card funds by district staff and the State Department of Education audit of the Vince Ford Early Learning Center project.
The district has not announced a succession plan or when the search for a new superintendent would begin.
The board also voted to remove the name Vince Ford from the controversial early learning center, whose construction has been halted. It will now be known as the Richland County Early Learning Center.
Other topics addressed by the board included the first reading of the district's new policy on student use of electronic devices. Like other districts around the state, students will be required to keep devices off and stored out of sight during the school day.
The board will have a final vote on the policy during its next meeting in December. Once the policy is approved, it will go into effect in January.