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Richland 1 approves continuous improvement plans for 10 underperforming schools amid resource questions
Summary
The board approved Continuous Improvement Plans for 10 schools designated 'below average' under state law; commissioners pressed administrators on missing plan fields, typographical errors, and whether additional staffing or funds will follow.
The Richland 1 Board of School Commissioners on Jan. 27 approved continuous improvement plans (CIPs) for 10 schools designated as 'below average' under the South Carolina Code, while several commissioners pressed for clarity on resources and plan completeness.
Doctor Fields presented the requirement: a school is designated underperforming if it receives an overall report card rating of 'below average' or 'unsatisfactory' under South Carolina law; CIPs must be submitted to the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE). Fields said each plan contains three goals (resource and equity, ELA, and math), will be progress-monitored in 45-day cycles, and that a weather-related extension affected the submission timeline.
Commissioner Hersey asked whether the documents were drafts and pointed out missing progress tabs and typographical errors in several plans; Fields said those progress fields are to be determined and will be updated once plans are implemented, and staff will correct errors before submission to the state. Commissioner Bishop asked whether additional resources — including staff and funding — would be allocated to help schools exit the underperforming designation. Doctor Williams and Fields said district teams meet monthly with school leadership to identify needs and provide supports; they said supports could include staffing or other targeted assistance when data show scalable impact.
The administration recommended approval and the board voted unanimously to accept the plans. Commissioners asked the administration to provide clearer, uniform electronic plan files and requested lists showing recent HVAC replacements and capital needs tied to school facilities; staff agreed to include those items in a Feb. 17 capital presentation.
What’s next: plans will be submitted to SCDE (administration noted templates are the ones mandated by the state) and updated for 45-day monitoring cycles; administrators committed to correcting typographical errors and to follow up on resource-allocation details.
