COLUMBIA, S.C. — Former Richland Two Superintendent Dr. Baron Davis was paid $615,000 as part of an agreement for him to leave the district. That's according to a settlement agreement the two sides reached back in January.
News19 requested and obtained a copy of the agreement that was signed on January 17. That's the same day the board met and it was announced that Davis was out as superintendent.
The agreed said he'd get a lump sum of $415,518 and be paid for his remaining unpaid sick leave and vacation, which added up to $124,481. He also got $75,000 to settle all dispute claims.
Davis, a Columbia native, was superintendent from 2017 to 2023. While at Richland Two, he had served as principal at Spring Valley High School and as an assistant superintendent in the district. In 2016, he was named superintendent-elect to work alongside Dr. Debbie Hamm, who decided to retire from the district. He officially became superintendent on July 1, 2017.
The district has been dealing with the fallout and scrutiny of a South Carolina Inspector General report that pointedly criticized the district’s finances and the leadership, including the board. The report was ordered by South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster last year after there were allegations of mismanagement.
The final report was issued last November, just days before the election. It looked at the school from a time period from July 2018 to June 2022.
In it, the inspector found the district didn’t have a policy on the use of purchasing cards, which led to improper use of funds, and sometimes comingled in the district with District Two foundation bank accounts. It also said that same foundation did not supply an annual audit.
But some of the harshest criticism came for the board itself. The report called them “dysfunctional” and questioned if they understood their role in overseeing the district. And said that during meeting they only focused on academic issues 14.2% of the time.
The district said there had been no intentional wrongdoing in response to the report.