State Ethics Commission dismisses complaint against Beaufort Co. school superintendent
Beaufort County Public Schools Superintendent Frank Rodriguez didn’t use public funds to influence the recent $439 million school bond referendum, according to an S.C. State Ethics Commission investigation.
The commission’s May 17 order of dismissal absolves Rodriguez of any doubt that the referendum, which had overwhelming public support, wasn’t passed fairly. Residents gave the go-ahead for the district’s largest referendum with 72% of the vote in November 2023.
Hilton Head resident Richard Bisi filed the complaint in response to two contracts between the district and 2018 interim superintendent Herbert Berg. The contracts were for Berg to advise on strategies to “generate majority support from the Board of Education and the community” for the referendum. It’s illegal to use public funds to influence an election under state law. However, relating to bond referendums, the law doesn’t apply until the school board votes to put the referendum on the ballot.
Under the first contract, the investigation found that Berg worked before the board made its vote, except for two days. Berg’s work after the board’s vote was “for educational purposes rather than promotional purposes,” according to the order of dismissal. The district paid Berg $53,198 under the first contract.
The second contract was signed after the vote for the same purpose, “to generate majority support from the Board of Education and the community.” However, the district didn’t pay Berg “the sole invoice rendered under the contract,” according to the order of dismissal.
