Doug Hayter
Photos courtesy BRANSON PUBLIC SCHOOLS
The Branson Public Schools Board of Education has promoted an internal candidate to fill the shoes of Superintendent Doug Hayter.
Effective Jan. 1, Brad Swofford will take over for Hayter, who’s retiring from the Branson district Dec. 31 and moving to a new job in Jefferson City, according to a news release.
“His 20 years of experience in the district and involvement in the community make him an excellent choice to provide new leadership for students and staff,” board President Peter Marcellus said in the release. “After board members attended several meetings devoted to finding a replacement for Doug Hayter … we were unanimous in our decision to promote from within and select Swofford as the new superintendent.”
On Jan. 1, Hayter starts as associate executive director of the Missouri Association of School Administrators, a statewide advocacy organization for superintendents and central office administrators. He has worked worked 13 years as superintendent of Branson schools and 32 years in public education.
Assistant superintendent for instructional services since 2009, Swofford joined the Branson district in 1995. He’s also served as a high school teacher, coach and Branson Junior High principal.
Outside the office, Swofford has served as an adjunct professor at Lindenwood University, on Branson’s Chamber of Commerce and Economic Advisory Council and on the grant-making panel of the Taney County Foundation Board, according to
Springfield Business Journal archives.
Last December, Hayter was passed over for a job as commissioner of the State Board of Education. Former Springfield Public Schools Superintendent Norm Ridder and Joplin School District Superintendent C.J. Huff also were in the running for the position, which went to Margaret Vandeven, deputy commissioner for the Missouri Department of Elementary & Secondary Education’s division of learning services.
