51黑料

ST. LOUIS COUNTY 鈥� The ousted superintendent of Ferguson-Florissant School District says he is the victim of retaliation after he complained about the school board president.

Ferguson-Florissant terminated Joseph Davis鈥� contract without cause last week, nearly three months after two principals sued the district and accused Davis of sexual harassment.

But in an interview on Monday, Davis said he believed his forced leave and subsequent termination had little to do with the allegations against him. Rather, his firing was retaliation for filing a formal complaint against Board of Education President Kevin Martin, he said.

鈥淚鈥檝e been painted like some villain, and I鈥檝e done nothing but led our district with integrity,鈥� Davis said.

Martin, a white man, subjected Davis to discriminatory treatment immediately after he joined the board nearly five years ago, Davis alleged.

Martin denied Davis鈥� allegations, calling them 鈥渃ompletely unfounded and untrue.鈥�

鈥淚 would never make such statements, and those who know me both professionally and personally would agree,鈥� Martin said in an emailed statement.

Davis, who is Black, filed a charge of discrimination with the Missouri Commission on Human Rights last Wednesday, March 12, in which he accused Martin of racial discrimination.

According to Davis, Martin made comments with 鈥渞acial undertones鈥� such as he 鈥渄idn鈥檛 expect districts like Ferguson-Florissant to improve.鈥� He also allegedly made jabs at Davis鈥� Harvard education, wondering how Davis 鈥渕anaged to get in.鈥�

鈥淪oon after I met him, he questioned my leadership capabilities and made disparaging comments about me 鈥� and Black folks in general 鈥� implying that we cannot think as quickly or lead as effectively as our white counterparts,鈥� the charge reads.

Davis鈥� charge of discrimination was filed at 4:35 p.m. Wednesday, according to his lawyer. Closed session meeting minutes show the board agreed to terminate Davis鈥� contract with pay later that evening.

It would have taken a majority vote from the Board of Education to terminate Davis, as 鈥渘o single individual can make decisions unilaterally,鈥� the district said in a statement.

Meeting minutes, obtained through a records request, show the seven-member board voted to terminate Davis with five 鈥測es鈥� votes.

Board member Courtney Graves was absent. Martin abstained.

鈥楤aseless and untrue鈥�

Davis, 55, led Ferguson-Florissant for nearly 10 years. He said he moved to the 51黑料 area from North Carolina after the Ferguson uprising, wanting to foster positive change in north 51黑料 County.

Under his leadership, the district added multiple STEAM schools geared toward science, technology and the arts. The district鈥檚 dropout rate fell. And its state performance score improved by nearly four percentage points in the last year.

鈥淚鈥檝e been characterized wrong, and that鈥檚 not fair,鈥� Davis said.

Davis was placed on leave on Jan. 4, he said, five days after one current and one former principal sued the district on Dec. 30.

Frank Williams claimed Davis unjustly removed him from his post as principal of McCluer North High in February 2024 as retaliation for refusing a sexual advance from Davis.

Cedric Gerald, a gay man, accused Davis of inviting him to happy hours where he鈥檇 try to get Gerald to engage in explicit conversations about his sex life. Gerald alleged Davis withheld resources and assistance to his school, McCluer High, after Gerald refused. He now works in Riverview Gardens School District.

Davis described the two principals鈥� claims as 鈥渂aseless and untrue,鈥� saying they portrayed him as a 鈥淏rute Caricature,鈥� a racist of Black men common during the Jim Crow era of the late 1800s.

Davis, in his charge of discrimination, said district leaders were well aware of Williams鈥� and Gerald鈥檚 allegations before their lawsuits were filed, and previously cleared Davis of any wrongdoing.

The district conducted its own investigation and found 鈥渘o merit鈥� to the two principals鈥� claims after they both filed charges of discrimination in March 2024, Davis alleged.

Davis said he received positive performance reviews in October and December. In August, his contract was renewed for an additional three years.

But 鈥渆verything changed,鈥� Davis said, after he 鈥渃ontinued to report鈥� racial discrimination from Martin.

鈥淲hen he became president, the heat got turned up,鈥� Davis said in an interview.

Martin became president of Ferguson-Florissant鈥檚 board on April 10, 2024, and Davis said he filed a formal complaint against Martin the same month.

The 鈥渙nly difference鈥� between March 2024, when the principals filed their discrimination charges, and when Davis was placed on leave, was his formal complaint, Davis said.

鈥淭he difference is what I put in writing to the board,鈥� Davis said. 鈥淭hat, to me, feels retaliatory.鈥�

Part of Davis鈥� charge of discrimination also centered around pay discrimination. His contract stated he should receive the same percentage increase as teachers. When teachers received 2.5% raises in the past two years, the district gave Davis only half that, he said.

In a statement, Martin, the board president, said Davis鈥� pay was in line with his contract.

鈥淲hile the board does not and cannot provide details on personnel and legal matters, we note that Dr. Davis鈥� pay has been consistent with the terms of his employment contract,鈥� reads a statement from the board.

The board agreed to paying out the remainder of Davis鈥� contract, which lasted through June 30, 2027. He earned a base salary of $262,411.

Financial issues

Shortly before Davis was placed on leave, Ferguson-Florissant started experiencing financial issues.

Current Ferguson-Florissant district leaders are trying to rectify a $7.7 million budget deficit as the district adjusts to the loss of pandemic relief funds, a decline in business and commercial revenue, and an overreliance on expensive contracted labor.

The district has tried to trim its expenses by reducing high-level positions and cutting down on spending. Teachers and district leaders have said it鈥檚 gotten tight. An online was recently set up to send music students to a music festival, as students are now being asked to cover their own transportation costs and entry fees, according to the fundraiser鈥檚 description.

The budget issues seemed to play some part in the decision to cut ties with Davis.

Martin notified Davis of the board鈥檚 decision to terminate his contract in a March 14 letter. In the letter, provided by Davis鈥� lawyer, Martin said the board had concerns related to Davis鈥� management of the budget and personnel. He also cited a vote of no confidence from the district鈥檚 union.

鈥淭he board believes that new leadership for the district would be in the best interests of the students, staff and community,鈥� Martin wrote.

Since his leave, Davis said he鈥檚 lost 20 pounds due to stress. He also developed an autoimmune condition that caused painful rashes to spread on his back and legs, he said, and has to take sleep medication to get only 鈥渕inimal rest.鈥�

The last few months have been 鈥減ure hell,鈥� he said. He planned to retire from the district, but now must 鈥渇igure out my life at the end of my career.鈥�

鈥淚 haven鈥檛 asked anybody to give me anything other than to just be fair,鈥� Davis said. 鈥淎nd here I am now, sitting without a job because of this mess.鈥�