‘One of the most dysfunctional’ boards: State takes over Jasper County School District
The South Carolina Department of Education declared a state-of-education emergency in the Jasper County School District Tuesday afternoon — just one day after classes began.
The declaration marks the beginning of a state takeover aimed at stabilizing the district’s finances and supporting students after years of alleged financial mismanagement. The takeover is expected to last six-years into the 2031 school year.
This move comes shortly after the release of a July 11 report by the State Inspector General, which detailed potential ethical and criminal infractions by former Superintendent Rechel Anderson. The report cited financial mismanagement, ethics violations, unauthorized business ventures and forged documents. Those findings have been referred to law enforcement for possible prosecution.
In a July 28 letter to the district, State Superintendent Ellen Weaver also pointed to the board’s ongoing failure to take corrective action amid a worsening financial crisis. JCSD was first placed under Fiscal Watch status in March 2023 after failing to submit a required audit. That status was elevated to Fiscal Caution in February 2024 and then to Fiscal Emergency on August 2, 2024. The district did not appeal any of those designations.
The local board — if it chooses to — has 10 days to appeal the decision in court. However, any appeal does not stop the takeover from proceeding immediately.
What the takeover involves
The takeover will be rolled out in two phases over six years, according to outside counsel Ashley Story of White & Story Attorneys at Law. The first three years will focus on evaluating the district, providing support and stabilizing operations. In the second phase, the goal will be to transition back to a fully elected school board by the end of the process.
“The department and superintendent would be derelict in their duties to protect the children and taxpayers of the county if no action was taken under these circumstances,” Story said. “As the late Dr. King said, ‘The time is always right to do what is right’ — therefore, we are asking that you approve this declaration.”
Board dysfunction
All members of Jasper County’s school board were in attendance at the meeting, with some, including board member Tom Balliet, speaking during public comment before the state board made its decision. Although hoping to keep the local board from being disbanded, he admitted to it being deeply divided.
“I’ve been on many and led many boards, but Jasper County School District board has been one of the most dysfunctional I’ve ever experienced,” Balliet said. “If you can see by the way we’re seated, we’re not a unified board — we’re all over the place.”
Jasper County school district board member Priscilla Fraser added how they were repeatedly denied by multiple representatives, including state Superintendent Ellen Weaver’s office when asking for a forensic audit of the school district.
Correction: In a previous version of the story, The Island Packet credited a quotation to another board member. It has since been corrected to reflect the correct speaker, Priscilla Fraser.
This story was originally published August 5, 2025 at 6:21 PM.
