Will Richland 2 board fire the superintendent? A former board chair thinks it might
Are Richland 2 school board members planning to fire Superintendent Baron Davis Thursday? A former board chair thinks they might.
James Manning, who did not seek reelection to the board in November, posted on Facebook that there “is a good chance” the board would be firing Davis during a special called meeting Thursday.
“They want a weak leader who will do their bidding,” Manning told The State. “In my previous dealings with the board members who remained on the board, they were very unhappy with Dr. Davis and many times indicated that once there was a new board that (firing the superintendent) was an action they were going to take.”
Davis was willing to tell board members “no” when he disagreed with them, Manning said.
“He held board members accountable for their actions and they did not like that,” he said.
While he doesn’t have hard evidence, Manning said signs point to Davis’ firing. The State has reached out to Davis’ office.
The agenda for Thursday’s meeting says the board will discuss the superintendent’s contract and “superintendent board relations” in executive session.
Manning said he couldn’t find any additional details about what the agenda items mean and doesn’t know why they are being discussed in private.
“Having an item to talk about the superintendent’s contract with no other details or information is very secretive,” Manning said. “My guess is they are trying to hide something.”
Similar instances in Lexington-Richland 5, Beaufort County and Charleston County, Manning said, resulted in the district firing the superintendent at the meeting or soon thereafter.
Current Richland 2 board chair Lindsay Agostini said the agenda is meant to have the board attorney explain the superintendent’s contract to new board members, but the main focus of the meeting is to discuss a report issued last year by the state Inspector General that was critical of the district and the school board.
The report highlighted dysfunction and lack of communication between board members, and noted that only 14% of the board’s agenda items were academic-related. It also found financial red flags, such as a lack of procurement card policy.
Agostini and board secretary Angela Nash would not confirm or deny whether the board would be firing Davis.
On Wednesday, The State Media Co. emailed all board members with questions about the agenda for Thursday’s meeting. Specifically, The State asked why “superintendent board relations” was set to be discussed behind closed doors. The email asked if the board planned to release Davis.
No board member had responded by Thursday afternoon.
The Richland 2 Black Parents Association shared a photo on Facebook with the caption “Change is in the air!!!”
Manning said the group often seems “to be in the know.”
Davis began serving the district as its first Black superintendent in 2017.
In September, the board narrowly voted 4-3 to extend his contract. Those who voted against extending the contract — Agostini, Monica Scott, and Lashonda McFadden — remain on the board, while all four who voted for it are no longer board members.
The meeting will held at 5:30 p.m. in the district office.
This story was originally published January 5, 2023 at 10:16 AM.
