Charleston County School Board will offer superintendent contract to Dr. Eric Gallien after vote

CHARLESTON COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD) – The Charleston County School District Board of Trustees will offer a superintendent contract to Dr. Eric Gallien.

The board voted 6-to-2 on Wednesday morning to approve Dr. Gallien’s contract during a special called meeting. Board members discussed the matter in an executive session for nearly two hours.

A search firm, BWP, was hired to conduct a nationwide search for the next superintendent. From there, they reviewed 44 applications and decided to interview six candidates.

The search was narrowed down to three contenders last month, including Dr. Gallien; however, two other candidates dropped out when their names were allegedly leaked on social media.

The board voted 6-2 to enter contract negotiations with Dr. Gallien a few days later.

Trustees Leah Whatley and Ed Kelley both voted in opposition to offering the contract.

“I just don’t believe this is in the best interest of this district to take on risk. As I have stated previously in my public statement, I’m just maintaining my position and feel confident with my position that this isn’t the right move to make and that we should reopen the process,” said Whatley, who represents District 7.

A group of leaders, activists, and Whatley spoke out on Tuesday saying the search should be restarted, and cited a lack of fairness and transparency.