COLUMBIA -- Richland One's new superintendent identified concerns about transparency as one of the key challenges facing his new administration as he gets settled atop the school district.
Todd Walker, who took the reigns of the Columbia-based system July 1, also had plenty of positive things to say about his new district in an interview with The Post and Courier, pointing to academic gains in recent years, solid financial resources and excitement for a new school year.
But after his first few days of "appreciation," as he calls the months-long process of getting to know the district, Walker was not shy about identifying what he sees as concerns, including discord around the cancelled Lower Richland early learning center, gaps in academic performance, financial pressure from the S.C. Department of Education and some people's perception of a lack of transparency.
"I think that's something we'll need to face head-on," he said of that last point, noting that "people's perceptions are their reality."
Walker wants to "overcommunicate" as part of that response, laying out plans to create a vision for the district over the next few months that he calls Richland One Vision 2030. It'll be focused on academics, business operations, communications and the district's overall effectiveness.
His focus on transparency is shared by some on the school board, who had wrangled with former Superintendent Craig Witherspoon over what some board members saw as unanswered questions and inadequate information from administrators seeking approval for financial decisions. State courts have ruled that the district violated the Freedom of Information Act on multiple occasions.
"I am just so looking forward to honesty and transparency, and getting us in the right track for student achievement," board vice chair Barbara Weston said.
Witherspoon announced he was leaving the district soon after voters unseated enough incumbents in 2024 elections to give his critics a majority on the board. The lame-duck board voted to pay him over a quarter of a million dollars through a separation agreement approved during their final meeting before the new board was seated.
His departure after nearly a decade atop the district, and the arrival of new leadership, has fueled hopes that Richland One will see a turning point away from the often tense relationships between its leaders.
"I am hoping that we are all on the same page in taking (Walker's) advisement under consideration, and making sure that we are making the best decisions for our students and teachers in our community," said board member Angela Clyburn, who had supported Witherspoon and described the opposition to his leadership as one of several distractions that took the board's focus away from kids.
"But we're beyond that now," she said.
The district still faces heightened oversight from the Education Department.
Officials placed Richland One under a fiscal caution designation last August after a 2024 report from the state Inspector General confirmed "failures and mismanagement" around the controversial and since-canceled construction of an early learning center in Lower Richland, which was initially halted by Richland County when it realized the district had not gotten necessary building permits.
A state audit, the second since the district flunked one in 2022, is expected, and Walker said he's planning on bringing in private auditors to assess the district's human resources and finance operations. He's had some initial contact with state Superintendent of Education Ellen Weaver and plans to meet with her soon, he said.
On the academic front, the Ohio native said he'll focus on high-quality instructional materials and teaching strategies, including the professional development needed to support teachers and principals -- alongside a belief that all students can achieve at high levels.
Trusting students' potential is crucial, he thinks, to advance a district where a high number of students in poverty face an "opportunity gap."
That dynamic isn't new for Walker, who comes to Columbia after two decades as a teacher and administrator in the Columbus, Ohio school district, where he said he learned the importance of culture inside a district's leadership.
"I will be very explicit about the adult behaviors that we expect to see as we work together so that we can increase outcomes for students," he said.