School Board Selects Witherspoon As New Richland One Superintendent
March 2, 2015
COLUMBIA, SC – The Richland One Board of School Commissioners voted Friday to offer the position of superintendent to Dr. Craig Witherspoon, pending contract negotiations.
Witherspoon, who most recently served as superintendent of Birmingham City Schools in Birmingham, Alabama, was one of three finalists selected by the Board from a field of 77 applicants from 26 states.
Before being named superintendent of the Birmingham City Schools in 2010, Witherspoon served as superintendent of Edgecombe County Public Schools in North Carolina. He began his educational career as a teacher and became an assistant principal, a principal and an assistant superintendent in school districts in Virginia and North Carolina.
In her remarks at Friday’s called meeting, Board Chairwoman Cheryl Harris outlined the extensive superintendent search process, which began after former Richland One Superintendent Dr. Percy Mack announced his plans to retire in May 2014.
Harris noted that the superintendent search included a series of input forums for employees and community members; an online survey; advertising the position in local, state and national publications and websites; visits to the district by the three finalists; meet-and-greet receptions with the finalists for employees and community members; interviews by the Board; and vetting the finalists’ backgrounds and performance in their previous school districts.
“On behalf of this Board, I would like to thank our community and our stakeholders for all of their support throughout this entire process,” said Harris. “We’d also like to thank our interim superintendent, Dr. Cynthia Cash-Greene, who has served us well in opening the 2014-2015 school year and in leading the district through the reaccreditation process.”
BWP & Associates was the search firm hired by the Board to conduct the national superintendent search. The search firm was paid $25,900 for its services.
Harris said the next step, upon successful contract negotiations and the Board’s approval, will be to hold an event to provide the entire community an opportunity to meet Dr. Witherspoon.
