Who is Bill Bradford, Fayette Schools’ new acting superintendent?

Bill Bradford, the new acting superintendent in the Fayette County School District, began his career as a Spanish teacher at Lafayette High School and, according to school board chair Tyler Murphy, has helped drive academic gains in the school district.

“This is a very special school district to me This is where I began my career as a teacher in these classrooms.” Bradford said at a school board meeting Wednesday night.

The school board on Wednesday voted to place Superintendent Demetrus Liggins on paid leave while a law firm conducts a “review of information regarding (his) employment.”

Liggins informed the board this week that he wanted to pursue a separation agreement and leave his role as the top official in the district. But after the board announced he had sent a resignation notice, he backtracked, saying the email was not a resignation notice, and that he wanted to withdraw his request to discuss a separation agreement.

Murphy said Tuesday night the board was not considering a separation agreement for Liggins.

The five-member school board said they are united in supporting Bradford, and he is committed to making sure there is no interruption to services in the district.

“He is ready to hit the ground running in this capacity to ensure that student success remains our focus,” said Murphy.

According a 2024 post from Transylvania Univeristy, Bradford, a 2002 graduate of the college, became the assistant superintendent of school leadership for Fayette Schools in 2024.

In that role, he oversaw the chiefs of schools, who in turn supervised and evaluated principals. He also helped plan and implement a variety of top-level initiatives.

Bradford has a doctorate of education from Northern Kentucky University.

Bradford was also the assistant superintendent of teaching and learning at Fort Thomas Independent Schools for five years, according to a Facebook post from that district.

He returned to FCPS in 2022, first as a chief of middle schools.

Bradford was a celebrated diver at Transylvania, finishing as a 1999 NAIA national runner-up and going undefeated in conference championships. After graduating, he was Transy’s dive coach for six years.

This is a developing article and will be updated.

This story was originally published June 11, 2026 at 8:00 AM.