Richland 1 board votes 4-3 to terminate contracts tied to Early Learning Center

The Richland 1 Board of School Commissioners voted 4-3 on March 11, 2025, at the Stevenson Administration Building in Columbia to terminate all contracts associated with the district's Early Learning Center (ELC) project.

Board members split over whether to halt spending on the unfinished facility or continue pursuing the center and outside partnerships. Commissioner Moore moved to terminate the contracts "based on the legal advice that we've received and the options that we have been presented," and Commissioner Weston seconded the motion. The motion passed 4-3 after a successful prior motion to end debate.

Supporters of the termination said the district was continuing to incur substantial carrying costs while questions about the project's execution and sustainability remained unanswered. "We don't have that authority," Commissioner Moore said in explaining his motion, arguing the district was "bleeding this money every day." Commissioner Weston urged partners at the state and county level to "put your money where your mouth is" if they wished to proceed on a shared project.

Opponents warned that canceling the contracts risked losing an established funding allocation and narrowing options for early-childhood access across the district. Commissioner Bishop said the ELC was created from a strategic, data-driven planning process and warned that reallocating the roughly $31,000,000 previously set aside for the project without a plan would leave the district without an avenue to build a similar facility in the future. Bishop also urged the board to consider how to preserve early-childhood spaces in existing schools.

Public comment at the meeting focused heavily on the ELC. Javor Juarez, speaking during public participation, accused board members of attempting to reallocate "$31,000,000 that were allocated for our black children" and said opponents would pursue litigation if the board moved funds away from the project: "We are going to sue you, and the money that you think that you're gonna save by reallocating the $31,000,000 ... we're gonna get it one way or the other." Doctor Robert Harris, a former district teacher of the year, urged continued investment in early childhood education, saying early learning "closes achievement gaps before they arise." Other speakers, including early childhood educator Etta Harrison, asked the board to terminate the contract because of concerns about long-term financial and staffing sustainability and about property damage cited by nearby residents.

Administrators and board members discussed possible next steps after termination. Several commissioners urged seeking partnerships with the governor's office, state Department of Education and the county delegation; Commissioner Clyburn proposed requesting a joint meeting with state leaders to explore options to move the project forward with external support. Commissioner Hersey and other members asked staff to consider immediate ways to expand early-childhood capacity within existing district buildings for the coming school year.

The vote leaves the district with a cancelled set of contracts for the ELC; board members who supported termination said they expected to pursue alternative uses for the funds or partnerships, while opponents said they will press to preserve early-childhood capacity through other means. The board did not adopt a formal reallocation plan at the March 11 meeting.

The board took the termination vote after a broad public comment period in which multiple residents and community leaders described both support for and opposition to the facility. Commissioners asked for additional information from staff and emphasized that any reallocation of funds would require another public discussion and formal action.

The board meeting lasted into the evening; the board will next meet on March 25, 2025, at Eau Claire High School.