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A new bill signed into law this week could provide accountability for officials in charge of chronically failing schools in South Carolina.

On Monday, Gov. Henry McMaster signed S. 201, a bill that outlines a step-by-step plan for underperforming schools in South Carolina. Under the new law, state Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman has authority to take over school districts that fail to meet certain academic or financial standards and fire its school board members.

The law provides a formal process for the the state to take over underperforming schools and districts. An “underperforming school” receives an unsatisfactory or below average rating on its annual school report card and a “underperforming” district has more than 65 percent of its schools receiving an unsatisfactory or below average score on its report card.

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Now, school district officials must alert parents when schools receive an “underperforming” rating and they must work with state officials to develop a strategic plan for improvement and inform parents of that plan.

The school board and superintendent also will be required to hold a public meeting to discuss the school’s poor rating with taxpayers.

Under the new law, the state superintendent can declare a state-of-education emergency if:

Education officials appointed by the State Board of Education would then take over the local board and those officials would serve for a minimum of three years.

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State education officials will only consider academic performance after the law goes into effect in July 2022 — it will likely be a few years before the state takes over a district.

Proponents of the bill told FITSNews that they hope the new law at least motivates school board officials to care about improving chronically failing public schools now that there is a chance of board members losing their positions.

Opponents of the bill said they fear that it will create a more test-focused education system and put more pressure on teachers instead of administration. Others are concerned that the law takes power away from voters.

The S.C. Department of Education advocated for the law.

Richland One

The new law has caught the interest of parents in Richland County School District One — a school district recently rocked by controversies, decreasing test scores, and an out-of-control budget.

According to the latest data from 2019 report cards (most tests were cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic), the following Richland One schools would be considered as “underperforming”:

Five of Richland One’s nine high schools would be flagged as underperforming, according to the latest data.

However, the new law will only count future test scores, so it’s hard to say whether or not Richland One school board would be taken over by state officials in the future.

Richland One, which encompasses the greater Columbia, South Carolina area, is the worst performing of South Carolina’s 10 largest school districts (see chart below). Stakeholders in the district have accused the school board of misusing taxpayer funds while 76 percent of its students are living in poverty (see the $700 Jacketgate scandal for reference).

Richland One ranks in the top 6 school districts in the state for spending per pupil. In the 2020-2021 school year, it spent $15,009 per pupil — which is significantly higher than the state’s average at $9,497. Richland One also receives more taxpayer dollars per pupil than most other districts (see chart below).

It’s important to note here that the South Carolina School Boards Association (SCSBA) and SCSBA president-elect/ Richland One school board memberJamie Devine have advocated against this bill from the beginning.

SCSBA is a non-profit that spends big money “advocating for quality public education” — as South Carolina continues to have one of the worst education systems in the United States.

The organization hosts an annual conference for school board members in February at a lavish location. This year, Richland One spent $7,400 for seven school board members to attend the SCSBA conference in Hilton Head.

There appears to be little accountability and big spending inside SCSBA — considering all of the employees make hefty salaries and collect bonus checks, even when South Carolina schools are in shambles.

According to its latest tax forms, SCSBA has six full-time employees whose salaries range from $105,000-$178,000 a year, and who each collect an annual bonus of more than $21,000.

In other words, the six employees at this non-profit focused on education improvement make between three to five times the amount that teachers make in South Carolina.

“In tight times, when school boards are crying poor across SC….they still throwing out $50K plus each year toward their SCSBA membership,” a former school board member said. “What was our return on investment for that?”

Advocates for the new education law hope that it motivates school board members to spend less money on themselves and administrative costs and more money inside the classrooms.

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Teachers and all other district employees should report to work Monday, March 16 as normal. Students and parents may pick up medications and any other personal items

COLUMBIA, S.C. — SC Gov. Henry McMaster has announced all South Carolina public schools through the end of March to help control the spread of the coronavirus.

All Richland One afterschool programs, child care programs, athletics practices and games, school events, field trips and all other activities are canceled until further notice.

Teachers and all other district employees should report to work Monday, March 16 as normal. Students and parents may pick up medications and any other personal items students may need from 9:00 a.m. – 1 p.m. Monday.

The district’s eLearning plan will be implemented to allow students to do assignments virtually while they are at home while schools are closed.

Learning packets also will be distributed to students as part of the plan, which was approved by the S.C. Department of Education.

Principals and teachers will provide details to students and parents.

FOOD SERVICE FOR STUDENTS

Richland One is providing free meals for students while schools across the state are closed through March 31 by order of the governor.

The district’s Nutrition Services team will provide “grab-and-go” breakfast and lunch weekdays at eight designated schools. Breakfast will be available for pick-up from 8:30-10:30 a.m., and lunch will be available for pick-up from 12:30-2:30 p.m. Meals also will be delivered to three apartment communities. The pick-up and delivery sites are listed below.

All children under 18 years old can pick up meals, regardless of whether they attend school in Richland One. Children can go to any of the locations to get meals.

Carver-Lyon Elementary School2100 Waverly Street, Columbia, SC 29204

Rosewood Elementary School3300 Rosewood Drive, Columbia, SC 29205

Webber Elementary School140 Webber School Road, Eastover, SC 29044

St. Andrews Middle School 1231 Bluefield Drive, Columbia, SC 29210

Southeast Middle School 731 Horrell Hill Road, Hopkins, SC 29061

A.C. Flora High School1 Falcon Drive, Columbia, SC 29204

Eau Claire High School4800 Monticello Road, Columbia, SC 29203

Lower Richland High School2615 Lower Richland Boulevard, Hopkins, SC 29061

The Colony Apartments 3545 W. Beltline Boulevard, Columbia, SC 29203

Note: Breakfast will be delivered from 8:30-8:50 a.m.; lunch will be delivered from 12:30-12:50 p.m.

Bayberry Mews Apartments100 Cardamon Court, Columbia, SC 29203

Note: Breakfast will be delivered from 9:00-9:20 a.m.; lunch will be delivered from 1:00-1:20 p.m.

North Pointe Estates Apartments100 Ripplemeyer Avenue, Columbia, SC 29203

Note: Breakfast will be delivered from 9:30-9:50 a.m.; lunch will be delivered from 1:30-1:50 p.m.

“This is an unprecedented time for the U.S. and other countries around the globe, requiring changes to our daily lives that we would not have imagined, but we can get through this together,” said Richland One Superintendent Dr. Craig Witherspoon. “As a Richland One family, we’ve weathered many storms before – literally and figuratively – such as the historic flood of 2015. That’s what we mean when we say we are ‘Richland One Strong.’”

Education professor encourages Latino families to engage in children's schools

Raised by a Cuban father and Colombian mother in Boston, Julia López-Robertson experienced first-hand the challenges that come with being a member of an under-represented population in America.

“My home life and my school life were very different,” says López-Robertson. “We spoke only Spanish at home unlike at school, and my parents never finished high school. But, they always stressed that an education is something no one can take from you, and they encouraged me and my siblings to go to college.”

Now as a professor in the College of Education, López-Robertson is helping other Latino families through her research and outreach.

“Since I joined the faculty at USC and began my research in 2006, I have seen the number of Latino children in area public schools steadily grow. Through my research, I wanted to know if there were ways to help teachers encourage Latino family engagement in school,” she says.

From 2004-14, the number of Latino students in U.S. public schools rose 25 percent — totaling 12.8 million students. South Carolina is among a handful of Southern states experiencing enormous growth in Hispanic/Latino populations, including undocumented immigrants.

“The reasons why parents don’t come to the school aren’t hard to figure out,” says López-Robertson. “Many families are in the process of learning English, and transportation is an issue. Also, we are living in an anti-immigrant society and families fear being reported to authorities. Even if the parent is documented, they may have a family member who is not and therefore, they might shy away from school involvement.”

Knowing that parental engagement increases a child’s academic success, she wanted to create a safe environment for parents so they could become involved in their child’s education without fear. She partnered with Horrell Hill Elementary School in Hopkins, South Carolina — one of 16 professional development schools that partners with the College of Education for research and student-teacher training.

“We began literacy events in schools where Latino families where seen as knowledge-holders. We hosted a language swap where English-speaking families learned a few sentences of Spanish and vice versa, we made salsa and shared recipes. We wanted the Latino families to feel comfortable, valued and included,” she says.

And slowly, the families began to trust López-Robertson and became more involved. Through her research, she focused on an idea called Community Cultural Wealth.

“This is the belief that communities of color possess a variety of strengths and resources that are often devalued by ‘larger society’ but help them maneuver and be successful in America. My goal is to help Latino children and families, as well as their teachers, understand that these cultural strengths can actually increase a children's academic success,” says López-Robertson.

For example, many of the Latino children are bilingual — an asset when searching for jobs in a global economy.

“Sometimes, the children shy away from their parents’ native language, but fluently speaking two languages is a plus for employers. I encourage them to embrace both languages and use this skill to their advantage as they seek higher education and employment,” she says.

López-Robertson also ensures that the education students she teaches at the University of South Carolina are prepared to help all children succeed. Each June, she has students in the language and literacy master’s degree program work with Latino and other under-represented students at Camp Discovery STEAM Academy. Camp Discovery is a free, full-day literacy camp focused on science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics. This year, the graduate students were joined by teachers from Richland 1 schools at the camp. About 60 children attend the annual camp.

“My students engage the children in daily lessons built around the children's interests. They do scavenger hunts, make slime, write their own books — anything it takes to spark a love of reading in a child,” she says.

Many of the first Latino students who attended Camp Discovery five years ago are now junior counselors, and their parents are supportive and involved.

“That’s proof that our efforts are working,” stresses López-Robertson. “The children are becoming academic leaders and their parents are part of that important process.”

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COLUMBIA, S.C. — For the second time in less than a week, snow and ice made a rare appearance in South Carolina.

Ice, sleet, freezing rain and snow started making it's way into the Midlands Friday afternoon.

RELATED: Snow starting to fall in the Midlands, more expected in next few hours

RELATED: Live updates: Light snow beginning in northern Midlands

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The wintry precipitation will stop overnight, but the remaining ice and snow in some areas could lead to slippery roads.

RELATED: Tips for driving on icy roads and snow

RELATED: 15 things to do before the power goes out during a winter storm

Last week, a winter storm in South Carolina caused power outages, falling trees and hazardous driving conditions across the Midlands.

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Hundreds of planned new homes in the Lower Richland area could overcrowd local schools that are already pressed for space, officials said.

While the Lower Richland area has been developing in recent years, the a housing development planned for 176 acres of Rabbit Run Road raises questions about whether the local school cluster could absorb the influx of students, said Richland 1 school board member Cheryl Harris, whose district includes the area.

The planned development, which is directly across the street from Lower Richland High, could bring in more than 800 housing units, including 515 single-family homes, The State previously reported.

As a result, Richland 1 asked Richland County Council to place a short-term halt on “building activity” so Richland 1 can assess potential impacts to the area, according to a letter sent May 7 by the school board.

“This information will be invaluable in assessing and determining the impact of this construction on the schools in the Lower Richland Community to adequately prepare for the future relative to potential demographic changes and facility considerations,” according to the letter, which was signed by Richland 1 board chair Aaron Bishop.

There has already been such an influx of people, especially near Lower Richland Boulevard, that traffic has become congested and even dangerous, Harris said.

Kevin Steelman, the president and CEO of LandTechSC, which is developing the single-family homes, said he expects the project to break ground in January 2022. Over the next 10 years, Steelman expects his company to continue erecting single-family homes and another, yet undetermined company to build multi-family homes on the property.

“These houses aren’t built overnight,” Steelman said.

Richland 1 should not be surprised about the potential influx of homes, Steelman said. The plan to add as many as 1,000 houses on the property was approved in 2006 and 2007, but the Lower Richland area lacked the proper infrastructure to facilitate increased development.

“The growth historically has been somewhat limited because of lack of sewer availability primarily, and that has been addressed by Richland County,” Steelman said. “The sewer capacity has been expanded and that’s going to facilitate additional development in the area.”

As a result of the school board’s concern, Richland County will be notifying Richland 1, Richland 2 and Lexington-Richland 5 school board members any time county council is hearing an issue of land development, said Chakisse Newton, a member of Richland County Council whose district includes the Rabbit Run development.

Members of the public who want to be notified of potential new development can email planningcommission@richlandcountysc.gov and ask to be added to the distribution list, Newton said.

The housing development is zoned for Horrell Hill Elementary, Southeast Middle and Lower Richland High, according to Richland 1’s zoning maps. But these areas haven’t been the only ones affected by increasing development, Harris said.

“There is no more room at Caughman (Road),” Harris said during a recent school board meeting. “There is no more room at Horrell Hill.”

If the schools become overcrowded like Harris fears, it could also force Richland 1 to raise additional money — potentially through more taxes — to build accommodations for the incoming students, Harris said.

“This creates a financial burden for this district, which now sends us to the taxpayers to ask for a millage increase,” Harris said at a Tuesday school board meeting. “It may lead to taxes being increased in the midst of a pandemic because next year those kids have to go to school somewhere.”