Reared for Action During a Year in Waiting

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WHEN BARON DAVIS was chosen as superintendent of South Carolina’s Richland School District Two, it would be more than a year before he assumed the title, perks or the full responsibilities of the job.

As Davis’ predecessor had given ample notice of her plans to retire, the Richland Two board decided Davis, who had served as a principal and assistant superintendent, was the best candidate. They named him superintendent-elect, and he spent the next year in transition. First, he shadowed retiring superintendent Debbie Hamm, gradually taking a shared decision-making role and then moving into the superintendent’s office as she took an office down the hall to step into an advisory role.

The yearlong transition, inspired by a practice in corporate decision making, was about as ideal as it comes, he says. “By far it was the best prep model I could have had, and it’s proven to be very beneficial to our school district.”

Davis also has the distinction of being the district’s first African-American superintendent. It’s a role he doesn’t publicize, but he sees a responsibility and opportunity to be a role model to the district’s fast-growing and increasingly diverse student population. (Of Richland Two’s 28,000 students, about 60 percent are African American and 10 percent are Hispanic with nearly half eligible for free- and reduced-price lunch.)

His colleagues describe Davis as modest, and he admits that trait led to one of his biggest regrets: not having his family present when he signed the contract in front of the board to become superintendent. In particular, he wishes his grandmother, who helped raise him and died shortly after his new job was announced, had been there.

“She had a strong hand, gentle heart,” he says. “That really influenced me. She taught me a lot about being compassionate but working hard.”

Davis chose a career in education in part because he was frustrated with his own experience. While his grandmother and uncle helped him succeed in school and life, a high school counselor told him she didn’t think he was college material.

He graduated from Francis Marion University in Florence, S.C., with a degree in sociology, then became a counselor, working with programs such as Outward Bound so that he could encourage students to pursue their passions and help them remove barriers. He went on to earn two master’s degrees and a doctorate from the University of South Carolina.

Davis was raised in nearby Columbia, and being an area native has helped him build relationships, understand challenges and navigate political considerations. The Richland Two district’s strategic plan centers on graduating its students as global citizens, and he works with community partners to pursue the district’s four core values: learning, character, community and joy. Davis thinks these embody everything the district does.

School board president Amelia McKie describes Davis as “a man of integrity with a keen eye for strategic and effective problem solving.”

His connection to students is paramount. McKie recently met a student who recounted that when Davis was his principal, he had mentioned he wanted to wear a necktie like him. Davis opened a desk drawer and handed the student one of his ties. “As we visit schools in our district, it is never uncommon for me to happen upon such a story of compassion and selflessness about Dr. Davis from students in the district,” she says.

“Because Dr. Davis’ rise to superintendent has been not a straight line but more of a scenic tour, he has collected jewels of diverse perspectives,” she adds. “He is able to relate to the troubled student, the high-achieving student, the at-risk or poverty-stricken student, the privileged student, and all manner of students, parents and community members who fall somewhere in between.”