Madison Local board approves December finances, staffing contracts, policy updates and service agreements

The Madison Local School District Board of Education on Jan. 14, 2025 approved a package of routine and personnel items including the district's December financial statements, donations, resignations and hiring contracts, a revised superintendent secretary job description, an hourly pay increase for select substitute positions, and multiple service agreements.

The actions, taken during the regular meeting at the Madison Local Schools board office, included roll-call votes on financial and personnel matters and a consent calendar that bundled several contracts and addenda. Board members voted to accept the motions as presented; the minutes approval recorded two abstentions.

Board action highlights: - The board approved the financial statements for December 2024 by roll call. The motion passed. - The board approved donations to district schools: an 8-by-10 rug from Rakes Carpet to South Elementary; $125 from Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Shimko to Madison Middle School for outstanding lunch fees; and $60 from the Madison High School English department to the Madison High School Angel Fund. The motion passed by roll call. - The board accepted resignations and a retirement notice: the planned retirement of Susan Quayle Himes, secretary to the superintendent, effective June 30, 2025 after 31 years of service; and the resignation of Alana Sali, special education assistant at Madison High School, effective Dec. 20, 2024. The motion passed. - The board approved a slate of substitute and long-term substitute contracts (as processed through the Educational Service Center of the Western Reserve) and transfers, including long-term substitutes through specified date ranges and a transfer of Mary Wake to a seven-hour special education assistant position at Madison High School. The motion passed. - The board approved a revised superintendent secretary job description (last revised in 1994) by roll call. The motion passed. - The board approved an adjustment to the district's minimum wage for certain positions to $10.70 per hour, effective Jan. 1, 2025. The board noted this affects pre-K substitute and assistant substitute positions; the motion passed by roll call. - The board completed the second reading and approval of a set of policy updates that staff said were mandated by the legislature and involved rescissions or consolidations of existing policies. The motion passed. - Under a consent calendar, the board authorized several agreements and addenda to be filed with the board office: a sports medicine services agreement and a related sponsorship agreement with University Hospitals (effective Dec. 5, 2024'Nov. 30, 2025); addenda with the Educational Service Center of the Western Reserve to provide one additional full-time nurse and to add 20 days of gifted services; an updated aligned services agreement with the ESC; and a Title I nonpublic schools program agreement to provide services for Saint John School (funds flow through Ashtabula Area City Schools as fiscal agent). All consent items passed by roll call.

Minutes approval recorded abstentions. When the board voted to approve the minutes of the Dec. 17, 2024 meeting, two members abstained (Miss Hayes and Mr. Thompson); the remaining members voted yes and the motion passed.

Board members and staff commented briefly about the services agreements and funding flows. Staff explained the Title I nonpublic agreement typically covers a small amount per nonpublic student (the example cited for the year was about $1,900) and that Ashtabula Area City Schools acts as fiscal agent for those funds. Board discussion of the University Hospitals sponsorship clarified that the district will not pay for trainer services under the current arrangement; University Hospitals will provide trainers on-site at practices and games but is not providing cash sponsorship in the current year.

No executive session was held. The board scheduled a future recognition for the retiring secretary, and the board adjourned after completing the consent and business items.