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SLED investigates Lee County School District finances

Online documents show that the Lee County School District is paying the Clarendon One School District superintendent $5,000 a month. A school board member is speaking out, demanding an explanation.

COLUMBIA, S.C. — SLED is investigating the alleged misuse of funds within the Lee County School District. Recently, a school board member with the district called for an investigation after he believed funds from the federal School Improvement Grant weren't being used properly.

"It came to my attention and I was wondering why we were paying another superintendent from another district $5,000 a month every month," says Regitt James, Lee County School Board Member.

James says he went on the Lee County School district website and discovered payments going to Clarendon One School District superintendent Barbara Champagne. 

According to those online documents, Champagne has been receiving monthly $5,000 payments for consulting services since October of 2017. In all, she's received $75,000 from Lee County Schools.

A look at the financial documents on Clarendon One School district's website, shows $17,500 in payments to Lee County School superintendent Dr. Wanda Andrews.

James says he has requested financial documents from the district since he was elected on the school board in November, but has not received any information.

"I couldn't have anything I requested," says James. "With me being part of the governing board, I feel like there's nothing going on in the school district that I'm not supposed to review or get an understanding of."

"We're paying her $5,000 a month for the same thing, educational program improvement consultancy," says Matthew Hicks, Lee County resident. "It doesn't seem like a bad idea, except you are taking a superintendent from one failing school district and superintendent from another failing school district and they're both trying to help make each other's school districts better."

Hicks says he too has had trouble getting public documents. He recently requested the proposed 2019-2020 budget, but was turned away from the district office when he asked to look over the documents before the upcoming school board meeting.

When asked about the financial concerns, the Lee County School district responded saying:

Mr. Regitt James is acting alone, without Board approval and support. The aim and mission of the Lee County School Board of Trustees and District remains and continues to be a learning community where students come first.

"We need the community to come together to come together so that we can make our district better," says James.

He hopes the SLED investigation will shed light on what's going on within the Lee County School district.

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