Three new charter schools will open in Columbia, South Carolina, for the 2026-2027 school year. A charter school is a publicly funded, independent institution established under the terms of a charter. Charter schools are generally smaller than public schools and require independent transportation. 

One of these charter schools, American Leadership Academy Blythewood, is located in proximity to Richland Two high schools Blythewood and Westwood. Because ALA Blythewood is K-12, the school is expected to draw in students from the surrounding Richland Two high schools. Due to the expected loss of students, the district estimates a loss of 20-25 million dollars in school funding. 

Individual school funding is awarded by the state, with the exact monetary value correlating to the number of students enrolled in each school during the first ten days of the year. 

To help combat the predicted deficit in funding and loss of students, Richland Two has created a new staffing model. Because of the position of ALA Blythewood and the requirement of independent transportation, the addition of this charter school is not expected to impact the RNE student population. However, the new staffing model affects the staff of every school in the district. RNE has several working retirees who may be affected by the new staffing model. The district is also eliminating the Technology Learning Coach position, which will directly affect the school. 

Based on the estimated population of a school, a number of allowed positions is allotted. For example, a school with an estimated population of 1000 or fewer would employ one assistant administrator. However, a school with an estimated population of 1001 to 1600 students, such as RNE, would employ three assistant administrators.

This is a developing story. Follow along for more updates.