Board

Madison Local School District information for Board of Education policies and meeting information is found in our BoardDocs account: BOARD POLICIES & BOARD AGENDAS

Madison Board of Education:

The Madison Local Board of Education consists of five members who have been elected to office to represent the Madison community and its children. Serving on this public board of education requires a commitment of energy, time and talent to work as a team to help the children and adult students in our community.

The school Board sets educational goals and establishes policy for the school district based upon state laws and community values. The Board helps build public support and understanding of public education, and are a vital link between schools and the community.

Madison's Board of Education members: Shawn Douglas, Michelle Hayes, Brian Horvath, Jean Sency and Jeff Thompson are among one of the largest groups of elected officials in the state, and they are charged with one of the major responsibilities in government -- to provide the best educational opportunities possible for the youth of Madison.

Responsibilities:

The primary responsibility of the Madison Local Board of Education is to establish purposes, programs and procedures that will produce the educational achievement needed by district students. The Board must accomplish this while also being responsible for wise management of resources available to the district.

The Board must fulfill these responsibilities by functioning primarily as a legislative body to formulate and adopt policy, by selecting an executive officer to implement policy and by evaluating the results.

Further, it must carry out its functions openly, while seeking the involvement and contributions of the public, students, and staff in its decision-making processes.

Board Meetings:

Monthly meetings are held at 6:00 p.m. at a location to be determined by the Board. Special Meeting sessions may be held each month at 6:00 p.m. at the Board of Education Conference Room located at 1956 Red Bird Road, Madison, OH 44057. School Board Meetings are subject to change. Minutes for each Board meeting are posted to this website upon final approval by the Board of Education. Call (440) 428-2166 or watch this website for updated information.

School Board Elections:

Members of the Madison Local Board of Education are elected at large by the qualified voters of the district on a nonpartisan ballot on the first Tuesday following the first Monday in November, in odd-numbered years.

The term of office is four years, or until a successor is elected and qualified, and begins on the first day of January after the election. Terms shall expire on December 31, except as otherwise provided by law.

Candidates for election are nominated by petition. The petition must be signed by qualified electors of the school district and be filed 75 days before the election.

For more information, visit www.lakeelections.com

Board Members

Shawn S. Douglas, President

Shawn Douglas

Title: President

Email: shawn.douglas@madisonschools.net

Shawn grew up in Madison, Ohio and graduated from Madison High School in 1990. He earned his Bachelor of Sociology degree at Bowling Green State University in 1994. He completed his Masters of Education at Cleveland State University in 2000, focusing in Adult Learning and Development. Shawn is also a 2003 graduate of Leadership Lake County’s Signature Program and was inducted into Cleveland State University’s 2019 class of “Fascinating Alumni”.

He began his career as a Child Protective Services Social Worker at the Lake County Department of Job & Family Services, in Painesville, Ohio in 1994. In 1998, he was promoted to a Supervisor in Child Protective Services and then moved into Human Resources at Job & Family Services in 1999. Shawn has served as the Human Resources Administrator at Job & Family Services since 1999. He oversees all Human Resources functions for the organization and manages the operations of Lake County’s Workforce programs under the banner of “OhioMeansJobs Lake County” on behalf of the Lake County Workforce Development Board. He is a Senior Certified Professional through the Society for Human Resources Management and a Member of the Lake/Geauga Area Society for Human Resources Management.

Shawn has spent a great deal of his time in public service. He served as the Chair of the Family Services Panel and member of the Central Allocations Committee for the United Way of Lake County from 2000 to 2004. From 2001 to 2005, he served as a Board Member, Treasurer and Vice-President for the Lake County Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board of Lake County, having been appointed to this position by the Board of Lake County Commissioners. From 2004 to 2016, he was as a Member on the Madison Public Library Board of Trustees, serving as Board President for eleven of those years. From 2007 to 2013, he was a member of the Parish Pastoral Council at Immaculate Conception Church in Madison, Ohio, serving as Council President from 2010 to 2013. In 2015, Shawn was appointed to the Board of the Western Reserve Area Agency on Aging by the Board of Lake County Commissioners. He was appointed to a second term for the WRAAA Board in 2018. He was appointed to the Madison Local School Board of Education in 2016 and elected to four-year terms in 2017 and 2020. He was elected Vice President of the B.O.E. in 2017 and President in 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021.

Shawn and his wife, Rebecca, have been married for twenty-seven years. Rebecca is a Special Education Teacher at A-Tech in Jefferson, Ohio. Their son, Collin was class Salutatorian for Madison’s 2019 graduating class and now studies Physics at Cleveland State University. Their Son Gavin is a Senior at Madison, playing tuba and serving as Squad Leader in the Madison Blue Streak Marching Band.

C. Michelle Hayes, Vice-President

Michelle Hayes

Title: Vice -President

Email: Michelle.Hayes@madisonschools.net

Mrs. C. Michelle Hayes was elected to a four year term on the Madison Local School Board in November, 2009. She was sworn in on January 7, 2010.

Mrs. Hayes was raised in neighboring Thompson, Ohio and, after living out of state for several years, returned to northeast Ohio with her husband in 1995. They settled in Madison in 1997 with their family. Mrs. Hayes has been married 16 years and three of her four children – Brandon, Korey and Jake – have either graduated or are currently attending the Madison Local Schools. The youngest, three-year old Noelle, will be following in the footsteps of her brothers and attending the YMCA Pre-School in the fall.

Mrs. Hayes has been employed by Progressive Insurance for 13 years.

In her spare time, when she is not looking after a variety of family pets, Mrs. Hayes enjoys spending time with her children. Family activities include swimming at the Perry Outdoor Y or the beach in the summer, sledding down a hill in the winter or taking in a movie. The Hayes family has been a member of the YMCA since 1995.

Brian D. Horvath

Brian Horvath

Title: Board member

Email: brian.horvath@madisonschools.net

Brian was appointed to the Board in August of 2020 and is currently on the ballot for the upcoming election in November 2021. Brian and his wife Wendy, have lived in Madison since 2005 and have four children: Zachary(14), Asher(12), Levi(9), and Elizabeth(7) that attend Madison Public Schools. He earned his Bachelor of Engineering in Chemical Engineering and Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Youngstown State University in 1998, as well as, his Master’s in Business Administration from Lake Erie College in 2007.

Brian is the Site Operations Manager for Carmeuse at the Grand River and Erie Dock locations. At Carmeuse, Brian is actively involved in supporting local non-profit agencies such as Torchlight for Youth Mentoring Alliance, as well as, local communities including Madison. Thru donation and sponsorship opportunities, as well as, active participation, he has and continues to support various sports and classroom programs with the Madison Schools.

As a Board member, I bring the philosophy that even though college is an important part of the success of some students, not everyone is destined to go to college. The Madison public school system needs to offer opportunities to support that pathway, but also support those that will go on to Trade schools, Military, or will look for going directly into the workplace following graduation from high school. My father went to trade school following high school, and worked as a welder until he retired and I definitely am a firm believer in the school system being able to support all the pathways that are possible following graduation from high school. For me, the formula for successful students involves the students, school staff at all levels, parents, and community.

Jean Sency

Jeff Thompson

Title: Board member

Email: jeff.thompson@madisonschools.net

Jeff Thompson was elected as a first time Candidate to a four year term on the Madison Local School Board in November, 2021. He was sworn in on January 11th, 2022.

Jeff was born and raised in Ohio, and received a Bachelor's Degree in Business Management from Meyers University. He has been married to his wife, Marion, for 28 years. Both Jeff and Marion have lived in Madison for over 23 years, where they raised both Caleb (Graduated from Madison,) and Nathanael who attended Madison Schools. Jeff and Marion still reside within South Madison, where they plan to continue raising their family and pets.

Professionally, Jeff spent most of his professional career in the Job Recruiting force, working for TES services in the early 2000's until closure. He then opened his own recruiting firm, The Jericho Group, just outside of Madison, to continue helping both Ohioans and Americans find good paying employment opportunities. Jeff still remains CEO of this company. Over the last 5 years, Jeff has also served as a substitute teacher within Madison and other Lake County schools. He has assumed leadership roles both within the Madison Middle School Parent Organization, as well as Madison sporting groups where his son Nathanael plays Basketball and Soccer.

Despite never running for Political Office, Jeff was motivated by his time as a Substitute teacher and business owner, to enforce Career readiness programs for ALL students in either Trade Schools or College. Jeff is a firm believer that all students deserve their own path to a successful career of their choosing before & immediately upon graduation, with the skills already taught to succeed. He also believes that parents should have the final say in the education of their children. Motivated to make a difference, Jeff decided to run, and earned the support of 14 Lake County Elected officials, including the full board of Lake County Commissioners, State Senator Jerry Cirino, and State Representative Jamie Callender. Jeff looks forward to bringing these local and Statewide Government connections into play for the students and parents of Madison Schools.

In his spare time, Jeff can be found spending time with his Wife, Marion; Dog; Buddy; Children, and family.

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