Lexington 2 names new superintendent less than a month after former school chief resigned
Less than a month after a Midlands superintendent resigned, the school board has made an offer for a permanent replacement.
The Lexington 2 school board voted to offer the top job to Brenda Hafner at a specially-called meeting and job interview on Thursday.
Hafner was previously the chief of schools in Sumter County, and was a principal and administrator in Richland 2, where she started her career as a social studies teacher in 1998. Hafner went on to serve as principal at Blythewood middle and high schools before she took an assistant administrative post with the Sumter school district in 2018. She was a finalist for the superintendent’s job in Lexington 2 in 2020.
Hafner graduated from the University of South Carolina, earned a master’s in teaching from The Citadel, and a doctorate from Nova Southeastern University.
“I am very excited to have the opportunity to join the Lexington Two team,” Hafner said in a statement. “I look forward to meeting our stakeholders and working with the students, staff, parents, and community to take Lexington Two to the next level. I feel very strongly that if we work together to identify our priorities and hone in on best practices, nothing will be out of reach for the students of Lexington Two.”
“Our Board is excited to welcome Dr. Brenda Hafner to the Lexington Two family,” Board Chair Christina Rucker said. “Dr. Hafner has several strong characteristics that will be valuable to our school district. She is passionate about her work, and we are looking forward to what she will bring to Lex2.”
Hafner will be the permanent replacement for Nicholas Wade, who suddenly resigned as superintendent May 10 after just a year on the job and was replaced on an interim basis a day later by former superintendent Barry Bolen.
The Cayce-West Columbia school district is also awaiting the results of an audit into its grading practices for graduating seniors at Airport and Brookland-Cayce high schools.
Hafner’s start date with the district will be July 1.
This story was originally published June 3, 2022 at 10:25 AM.
.jpg)