Fordland superintendent retiring after 30-year career, next leader named

Chris Ford will retire as superintendent of the Fordland district this summer and his successor — a leader already working in the school system — has been named.

Ford announced Monday that Stephanie Vickers, principal of Fordland Elementary, will take over the top district position July 1.

"I could have gone last year but I didn't," said Ford, 52, who started his career in 1993. "I love education. It was just time."

Ford had worked in six districts — all in southwest Missouri — when he was hired as the Fordland superintendent in mid-2014.

In nine years, Ford steered the 640-student district through an enrollment and funding drop and then a significant surge of new students, fueled by a demand for housing east of Springfield.

He revamped the strategic plan and implemented innovative school programs.

Twice in recent years, 2017 and 2020, Fordland was named the best high school in the Springfield metro area by U.S News & World Report.

Melissa "Misty" Grandel, an English teacher who successfully advocated for the district to offer Advanced Placement courses in 2012, was honored as Missouri's 2020 Teacher of the Year.

Ford said the district has succeeded because of its close partnership with the Fordland community, which has never rejected a school funding request.

Voters in the Webster County district approved a bond issue in 2015 and 2020 and an increase to the operating tax levy in 2020.

The final bond-funded project in the works is a new gym that doubles as a storm shelter at the high school.

"We have added onto our buildings. We have improved the district," said Ford, who credited "the willingness of the community to support the school district and move us into the future."

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Ford has a bachelor's, master's and specialist degree from Missouri State University and a doctorate in educational leadership from Lindenwood University. His salary is $141,000.

He spent the first nine years of his career as a band teacher or band director in Walnut Grove, Republic, Monett and Springfield.

Ford was a principal in Weaubleau and Hollister before moving to the central office, as assistant superintendent for operations in Hollister.

His wife, Katie, is a teacher in Ozark. They have children enrolled at College of the Ozarks and Missouri State. Their oldest is a first-year teacher in Branson.

New superintendent came to Fordland as principal two years ago

There has been a spike in superintendent retirements and resignations in recent years, in part because many district leaders did not want to leave during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Given the timing, Ford notified the Fordland school board in August that he planned to retire June 30, 2023. He said there were 63 applicants the year he was hired and 10 this year.

Ford recruited Vickers for the Fordland elementary principal job two years ago and she quickly emerged as the top candidate to replace him. Her starting salary is $113,500.

Vickers, who started her teaching career in Columbia, spent 17 years teaching middle school math and elementary grades in Independence, where she was named that district's Teacher of the Year.

She spent two years as a Teaching Ambassador Fellow for the U.S. Department of Education and was principal in Raytown before moving to Fordland two years ago.

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“Since moving to the Ozarks, the community of Fordland has welcomed and embraced our family. We are blessed to call this our home," said Vickers, in a Monday news release. "We have an excellent school district and I am committed to maintaining a high-quality educational experience for our students."

Vickers has a bachelor's degree in elementary education and French, and a master's degree from the University of Missouri. She has a specialist degree from the University of Central Missouri and is finishing her doctorate at William Woods University.

She is married to John Vickers, a retired teacher and head basketball coach at Fordland. They have four children: Sophia, Isaac, Lydia and Sam.

Claudette Riley covers education at the News-Leader. Email tips and story ideas to criley@news-leader.com.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Fordland superintendent retiring this summer, next leader named