Jasper Co. school board to meet Monday with jobs on the line after state action
One week remains for members of the Jasper County Board of Education to appeal the state’s emergency declaration for the district — or forfeit their jobs entirely.
The school district’s board plans to meet at 6:30 p.m. Monday to discuss the state Board of Education’s decision earlier this week to declare a state-of-education emergency in the district. The discussion will take place in executive session — meaning behind closed doors — before a public decision is expected to be made.
This isn’t the first time the state has taken over a school district in South Carolina; however, Jasper County’s takeover comes after several years of alleged financial mismanagement and ethical violations.
The 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. The school district 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 district board — if it chooses to — has 10 days following the takeover to appeal the decision in Administrative Law Court. However, any appeal does not stop the takeover from proceeding immediately.
The state has already appointed a new interim superintendent to lead the Jasper County School District and has spoken of a plan to stabilize the district’s finances and support students after the years of alleged financial mismanagement. The takeover is expected to last six-years into the 2031 school year.
The takeover will be rolled out in two phases over a six-year period, according to Ashley Story, outside counsel at White & Story Attorneys at Law, at the state board meeting earlier this week. 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.
Jasper board divided
It is unclear where each district board member stands on the issue; however, at the state board meeting, the local board appeared fractured and in disagreement.
Board member Tom Balliet, who hopes to keep the local board from being disbanded, admitted during the meeting’s public comment that the board was 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.”
The local school board’s page on the district’s website is currently unavailable and returns an error message.
