Please join us Monday Jan 27th 2020
For our meeting Monday Jan 27th we welcome Dr. Craig Witherspoon, Superintendent of Richland 1 schools.
An educational practitioner for over 30 years, Dr. Craig Witherspoon’s professional experiences include being an instrumental music teacher, a middle and high school principal, an instructional improvement officer and a superintendent for 13 years, working in urban, suburban and rural settings in Virginia, North Carolina, Alabama and South Carolina.
Dr. Witherspoon began his duties as superintendent of Richland County School District One in March of 2015. Richland One is South Carolina’s ninth-largest school district, with 52 schools and centers, 24,000 students in pre-K through 12th grade and more than 4,500 employees. The district stretches over 480 square miles and encompasses urban, suburban and rural communities. Richland One has a proud history and tradition of excellence, as well as a reputation for innovation. Year after year, district schools, students and staff receive prestigious honors and awards at the local, state and national levels. The Class of 2019 earned more than $86.5 million in scholarships and other financial aid, setting a new district record.
Under Dr. Witherspoon’s leadership, Richland One has expanded the number of unique learning opportunities and experiences offered to students to appeal to their individual interests and to help prepare them for college and careers. The district’s magnet and choice programs include Montessori programs at the elementary and middle school levels, an elementary language immersion program (Mandarin Chinese and Spanish) and a virtual school program for high school students. In partnership with the South Carolina Trucking Association, Richland One launched a commercial driver’s license (CDL) program at Eau Claire High School in August 2018. The program is the first high school CDL training program in South Carolina and only the third in the nation.
In addition to leading the district, Dr. Witherspoon is a member of several professional and civic organizations, including the American Association of School Administrators (AASA), the South Carolina Association of School Administrators (SCASA), the South Carolina Alliance of Black School Educators (SCABSE), the National Alliance of Black School Educators (NABSE), 100 Black Men of Greater Columbia and Phi Delta Kappa. He serves as a board member for the Midlands Education and Business Alliance (MEBA) and the Indian Waters Council of the Boy Scouts of America. He is also the public sector fundraising chairman for the United Way of the Midlands and chairman of the Midlands Superintendents Group.
Dr. Witherspoon’s honors and awards include being named the 2019 Administrator of the Year by the South Carolina Chapter of the National School Public Relations Association (SC/NSPRA) and the 2018 Administrator of the Year by the South Carolina Association of Educational Office Professionals (SCAEOP) and the Richland County Association of Educational Office Professionals (RCAEOP).