A commission created by Sanford to reduce waste in government estimates the John de la Howe School spends $70,000 per student.

A former chairman of the school, replaced by Sanford after he sued board members who stayed in their positions after their terms expired, disputes the figure and said the school is being picked on.

"It's the big fish story," Westley McAllister said. "The little fish gets eaten by the big fish. If this happens and the last six months has been a signal for how business is going to be carried out in the state of South Carolina, the citizens of South Carolina ought to be concerned."

The 1,216-acre de la Howe school was founded in 1797 through the will of Howe, an eccentric physician who left Charleston for the South Carolina backcountry.

The school opened as an agricultural trade school in 1832. The state began supporting it in 1918. The school is the third largest employer in McCormick County.

Sanford's Commission on Management, Accountability and Performance recommends merging the school, which has students from the fifth grade through high school, with the Wil Lou Gray Opportunity School in West Columbia, which helps older high-school-age students obtain their GEDs.

The governor has been bothered by the school's "administrative problems and inefficiencies" under McAllister and believed the former chairman's lawsuit was inappropriate, spokesman Will Folks said.

"There's no doubt they want to streamline state government. I'm in favor of limiting the duplication of services, but I'm also in favor of doing it the right way, not the cloak and dagger way," said McAllister, a Mount Carmel businessman who had served on the board since 1989.

School superintendent Rubert Austin disputes the MAP Commission's figure of $70,000 a year spent on each student. He said the figure is closer to about $40,000 annually.

Children generally stay at the school a year. They get an education with counseling, family therapy and work skills instruction. The school also offers regular activities, letting students work with plants, farm animals and crafts.

Families send many of the children, but the Departments of Juvenile Justice, Mental Health and Social Services refer others.

"The majority lack respect for authority," said Cherry Brown, who directs the school's counseling. "They don't know how to get along with their peers or are involved in negative peer pressure in doing things like stealing cars, staying out late, experimenting with things they shouldn't."

Some students try to run away, but don't get far because of the school's location, eight miles from the town of McCormick, Brown said.

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