WOODRUFF — Spartanburg County School District 4's search for a new superintendent ended quickly after Dana Fall told a reporter he had the job, but that was before any consideration of him for the post was ripped away.
But who else was the Woodruff-based district considering for its top position?
The Post and Courier filed a Freedom of Information Act request on March 6 to find out. On April 17, the district provided cover letters, resumes and reference letters for its four finalists to succeed retiring Superintendent Rallie Liston.
One of them was Fall, who was at the helm of Cherokee County schools until he was placed on paid leave. Another was Assistant Superintendent Aaron Fulmer, who the board chose to become acting superintendent once Liston retires on June 30.
The other candidates were Chris Ballenger, superintendent of Warren County Public Schools in Virginia, and Jaime Hembree, superintendent of McCormick County Schools.
Ballenger and Hembree did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Fall, who will receive $120,750 and resign this summer, seemed poised to take the reins at District 4. The Gaffney Ledger reported in late February that he had accepted the job in Woodruff.
But his comments that appeared in The Ledger caused parents and teachers alike to voice their opposition at a special Woodruff school board meeting. The board released a statement saying it would not hire Fall.
Fall previously worked as a teacher in Marion and as an assistant principal and principal in Sumter before he became an assistant superintendent at Sumter County School District before moving over to lead Cherokee County’s schools, according to his cover letter.
Fulmer has worked in education for more than 25 years. He taught science classes in Inman from 1997 to 2003, and then became an assistant principal and later a principal in Woodruff.
He has been the assistant superintendent for Spartanburg School District 4 since 2022 and will soon be its acting superintendent.
"I understand the values of District Four and the various communities the district serves," Fulmer said in his cover letter.
Among the materials Fulmer provided the district were letters of reference from two superintendents in Spartanburg County, Ken Kiser with District 6 and Jeff Stevens of District 7.
According to Ballenger's letter of interest, he first worked in his hometown district of Jennings, Okla., in the early 2000s as a teacher, then became the district's superintendent.
He then worked with Smyth County Public Schools in Virginia as assistant superintendent before leading the schools in Warren County, which has about 40,000 people and 5,000 students.
“I will value each student, teacher, employee, parent and community member as an individual and will respect their ideas, values and beliefs,” Ballenger said in his letter of interest.
Ballenger, whose district is near Washington, D.C., was also a candidate to lead Lexington One earlier this year, but the district’s school board chose Keith Price, the current leader of Georgetown County School District.
Hembree taught at an elementary school in Union, N.C., from 2002 to 2010. She then moved to Lexington, where she taught, and later worked as an assistant principal, principal and director of special services at different Lexington County school districts. She is now leading McCormick County Schools. Located in South Carolina's second-smallest county by population, McCormick County Schools has fewer than 600 students.
Hembree also had a recommendation letter from a Spartanburg County superintendent, Randall Gary of District 5.
“I believe that my collaborative leadership style, interpersonal skills, knowledge of curriculum and instruction and current experiences as a Superintendent make me an excellent fit for your district,” Hembree said in her cover letter.
