FAYETTEVILLE -- The School Board decided late Wednesday to offer the superintendent's job to John Mulford.
The board chose Mulford, currently the deputy superintendent of operations for the Springfield (Mo.) Public Schools, in a unanimous vote during a special meeting Wednesday. The decision was announced in a news release Thursday.
He stands to be the 14th superintendent in the School District's 152-year history.
"We are very excited to be able to offer this position to Dr. Mulford," Board President Nika Waitsman said in the release. "We had an excellent pool of candidates, and, after a careful review and numerous interviews, we are confident that we've made a strong choice to lead Fayetteville Public Schools."
Mulford, 47, is expected to begin the job July 1. He'll succeed John L Colbert, the district's superintendent since 2018. Colbert, 68, is retiring this summer after a 47-year career with the district.
The board will negotiate a contract with Mulford, according to the release.
"I am humbled and honored to serve as the next superintendent for Fayetteville Public Schools," Mulford said in the release. "During my interview with the board of education, I was inspired by their collective commitment to excellence while prioritizing the uniqueness of each individual. My wife and I are excited to become part of the Fayetteville community and look forward to the great things we will accomplish together. Go Bulldogs!"
The board interviewed Mulford on Monday. Jeannine Porter, chief of marketing, communications and strategic initiatives for the Irving (Texas) Independent School District, was interviewed Wednesday.
The board narrowed its candidate list from 31 to six during a special meeting Jan. 28. Mulford and Porter were among the six chosen for the first round of interviews, conducted via Zoom.
The board interviewed those six before initially trimming the field to Anthony Rossetti, superintendent of the Webb City (Mo.) School District, and Brad Swofford, superintendent of the Branson (Mo.) School District. But after in-person interviews with Rossetti and Swofford, the board Feb. 24 decided to interview Mulford and Porter in person. Rossetti and Swofford were no longer candidates at that point, Waitsman said.
It's Mulford's 26th year in education, and he's been a teacher and administrator in public and private schools, according to a biography provided by the Fayetteville district.
After five years in the private-school sector with Heritage Christian School, he moved to the public realm at the West Plains (Mo.) R-VII School District, the biography states. Mulford started as a middle and high school math teacher and coached football, baseball and track, according to the bio. He advanced to be a middle school assistant principal, high school principal, assistant superintendent and superintendent in the West Plains district.
Mulford then spent three years as superintendent of the Meramec Valley R-III School District in Pacific, Mo., the bio said, before moving to his current position in Springfield. Springfield is Missouri's largest school district with around 24,600 students and 3,600 employees on 50 campuses, according to the bio.
Fayetteville's enrollment as of last fall was 10,426. The district's preliminary budget for this school year showed expenditures projected at $128 million.
The Fayetteville superintendent search started with a planning meeting in September. GR Recruiting of St. Louis led the hiring process. The base salary for the position was advertised as being "in the range of $275,000" plus a comprehensive benefits package, according to the job description posted by GR Recruiting.
"The final salary for the successful candidate will be negotiated and determined based on proven experience, qualifications, and meeting the Fayetteville Board of Education's criteria," the job posting states.
More on Mulford
Here's a quick look at John Mulford's education:
Graduated from West Plains, Mo., High School, 1994
Associate of arts degree, Missouri State University-West Plains, 1997
Bachelor of science degree in education, Missouri State University-Springfield, 2002
Master of arts degree in secondary administration, William Woods University, Fulton, Mo., 2005
Educational specialist degree in educational leadership, graduate program, Saint Louis University, 2008
Doctorate in educational leadership, Saint Louis University, 2009
Source: Fayetteville Public Schools