WIS News 10 - Columbia, South Carolina | Court papers outline split between former superintendent and wife

Court papers outline split between former superintendent and wife

COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) -Family court documents could help explain the mysterious resignation of former Lexington-Richland District Five Superintendent Dr. Scott AndersEn.

In divorce papers filed with the Richland County Family Court, AndersEn's wife Bernice accuses him of adultery.

She says her husband began a relationship with another woman in late March. By May 27, the couple had agreed to terms of a divorce. By the end of July, AndersEn was out as district superintendent.

The clerk's office said it could not provide WIS News 10 a copy of the settlement, but we were allowed to review it. The agreement lays out specific terms of the couple's separation and divorce, including custody and support of the couple's children and division of property.

The documents say on or about March 28 and again on April 9 of this year, the defendant "did engage in an adulterous relationship with one Melissa Cole."

The paperwork does not specifically identify her as such, but Cole is the principal of District Five's River Springs Elementary School.

With the start of the school year only days away, Cole has been, according to the district, "on leave" for about two weeks.

Lexington-Richland District Five spokesman Buddy Price could not say anything about Cole's leave, calling it a personnel matter.

"All I can say is that we're trying to move it forward as fast as we can," Price said.

Tuesday morning, interim superintendent Dr. Herb Berg and the district's chief of instructional services met with River Springs faculty and staff. The district officials also spoke to parents in a separate meeting.

"The main message is that we understand the consternation that's in the community and we're trying to do everything we can do to bring this to as quick a resolution as we possibly can. But we also want to make sure that we have an opportunity to fairly assess all the facts in the matter and our superintendent has just gotten here, our interim superintendent. And so he's quickly trying to come up to speed on this and what we want to communicate to parents and staff is that we are trying to move this thing forward as fast as we can," Price said.

The documents provide details of the split. Mrs. AndersEn would receive $2,500 a month in alimony, complete custody and $500 a month in support for each child. She would also get $6,000 in moving expenses, health insurance, medical and college expenses, half of the proceeds from the sale of their house and a 2005 GMC van.

Dr. AndersEn would keep a boat and a motorcycle.

A hearing is scheduled for August 29.

Attorneys for both of the AndersEns have not been available for comment.

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Reported by Jack Kuenzie

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