Former LR5 leaders appeal to accrediting group over interim superintendent’s contract
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A group of former superintendents and school board chairs in Lexington-Richland 5 have filed a complaint with the agency that accredits the district’s schools over ethical concerns about the hiring of an interim superintendent.
The complaint filed with the regional accrediting agency Cognia calls into question the contract between the school board and HeartEd LLC, the company of Interim Superintendent Akil Ross. That contract calls for the company to provide “superintendent services” to the district, while Ross remains an employee of HeartEd rather than of Lexington-Richland 5.
“We are concerned that this arrangement is incongruent with the standards for governance established by Cognia and, therefore, could jeopardize the District’s accreditation,” the complaint reads. “The loss of accreditation would have serious negative repercussions for our District’s students, teachers, schools, and community.”
The complaint is brought by former Lexington-Richland 5 school board chairmen Danny Brabham and Carl Hust, and former superintendents Herbert Berg, Wendell Clamp and Stephen Hefner. The complaint says they “share a mutual concern that the current LR5 Board is not adhering to a governance model that is congruent with the expectations of Cognia nor one which will sustain the District’s enviable record of academic success.”
Board member Catherine Huddle said it was the board’s understanding that contracting with a private company for an interim superintendent “was not altogether unusual.” The contract with the private company also “saves the district money,” she said.
The complaint also questions the financial relationship between some current board members and the HeartEd Youth Zone, a non-profit set up by Ross that provides after-school services in the Irmo area. School board vice chair Ken Loveless and his wife, Jondy Loveless, donated $10,000 to the Youth Zone last year, according to documents submitted with the filing. Huddle also made a donation to the Youth Zone in March of $240 from money she made as a member of the board, according to a Facebook post.
“(W)hen I ran for Lexington Richland Five School Board, I committed to donating my net pay to charitable causes for students and teachers,” Huddle wrote in the post.
Huddle confirmed that she had donated to Ross’ non-profit and added that she donates all the money she makes as a board member to various organizations that help teachers and students in LR5. The HeartEd Youth Zone is a separate entity from Ross’s HeartEd consulting firm, which contracts with the district.
Both payments pre-date Ross becoming the district’s interim superintendent.
“Having a private foundation (whose own governance is intertwined with members of the LR5 Board) govern LR5 raises significant ethical issues,” the complaint reads.
A copy of the complaint provided to The State does not call for any specific penalties for the school district. It notes that “employing Dr. Ross (or anyone else) as a District employee can only be effected by the LR5 school board.”
“This concept of contracting with a private foundation for chief executive officer is outside the world where we’ve lived in all our careers,” former superintendent Hefner told The State. “Is a private foundation certified to be a superintendent? What training do they have? We’re concerned it could jeopardize their accreditation, which would have a devastating impact.”
Hefner said Cognia, which accredits 36,000 school systems around the country, is unlikely to threaten Lexington-Richland 5’s accreditation. “At least one time I know of, they took away a district’s accreditation, but it would have to be really bad for that to happen right off the bat,” he said. If the agency finds the arrangement improper, “they will likely work with the district to correct the problem.”
Ross, who was named national principal of the year during his time at Chapin High School, was hired as a short-term replacement in June for former superintendent Christina Melton, who resigned earlier that month after repeatedly butting heads with members of the school board, particularly over schools’ reopening from the COVID-19 pandemic and the use of masks. Melton had been named this year’s superintendent of the year before she left the district.
Hefner was the district’s superintendent from 2011 to 2018. Berg was superintendent from 2008 to 2010, and Clamp led the district from 1987 to 1992.
Reporter David Travis Bland contributed.
This story was originally published August 8, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
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