By Nate Abraham Jr.
OLUMBIA
The North Columbia Business Association hosts a luncheon every Friday to bring together community members and civic officials to discuss various issues affecting the North Columbia community. Last Friday (February 21), Richland Country School District One board member Jamie Devine and Sixth District Congressman James Clyburn were the keynote speakers.
Jamie Devine addressed three main topics: the superintendent search, the implementation of a year-round calendar, and the Early Learning Center. Devine stated that the school board hired an executive search firm to conduct the search. The goal is to have a new superintendent by July 1, 2025, with interviews starting in March and ending with background checks in June, he said.
Richland One is considering implementing a yearround school calendar, Devine said. The current “agrarian” calendar is nearly two hundred years old and based one a time when children were needed to help on thr farm.
Devine said that the proposed year-round calendar would start in mid-July and end in May. Students would have six weeks off starting in June, and intercession periods would be added in October and April to provide extra assistance to students and breaks for teachers. The calendar will start meet the state requirements of an 180 day school year.
North Columbia Business Association leader Sabrina Odom (center) introduces Richland County School District One board member Jamie Devine (left) and Congressman James Cyburn.
“You got to have community buy-in,” Devine said. “You have to get it to where it works for the parents, the students and it works for the community.”
Devine went on to say that the new calendar could be implemented for the 2026- 2027 school year, but only if the board determines that it is in the best interests of the students and parents vote in favor of it.
Devine’s final topic of discussion was the Early Learning Center. The $31 million project was halted due to permitting issues. The board is seeking input from the community as to whether to continue with the project.
Congressman James Clyburn also addressed the crowd. He spoke about his six-decade history of living in the North Columbia community and discussed various issues pending in Congress, primarily focused on education and health care.
“We are in zip code
29203,” Clyburn said. “It has the highest presence of diabetes, and not just in South Carolina. There’s no zip code in this country that has a higher percentage of diabetics than this one.”
Clyburn said that the number of people who have had amputations because of diabetes has dropped because early in his Congressional career, he and Senator Ernest Hollins placed mobile health units in rural communities across South Carolina.
“We did it because if you catch it (diabetes) early you can manage it and have a better quality of life,” Clyburn said. “We have to have a national effort. It can’t be left up to each state. It can’t be left up to each community. That’s what the Affordable Care Act is all about, making sure that people, whatever their income levels might be, can have access to health care.”
