Madison City Schools Board members are front and center of all things Madison City Schools.
You see them at board meetings, school plays and band performances. They are at the football stadium and in bleachers at swim and dive competitions.
You might catch one reading to a class, speaking to a PTA meeting or advocating for schools at a City Council meeting.
They attend graduations, school carnivals, EL summer classes and greenpower events. They meet with legislators and city leaders to discuss school issues, undergo board training and attend conferences away from their family.
They are our Board of Education members.
We are most grateful for their leadership and selfless service - all without receiving even a dime of compensation.
January is School Board Recognition Month. See this brief board appreciation video from all of our schools: https://youtu.be/VTFZt4if1ng.
Madison City’s Board is unique in that its members are appointed by its City Council to represent the residents of Madison at-large.
That means each individual school board member is charged to make decisions in the best interests of all Madison City students, not just those of a particularly geographic zone.
Each board member is appointed to staggered five-year terms. One of five board members is up for appointment or reappointment each year, and the term of office begins on June 1.
Each member of the Board of Education in Madison serves without compensation. Since the formation of the school system in 1998, the Board of Education has elected not to receive compensation so that its work is done in the true nature of public service.
The Board of Education appoints the Superintendent and Chief School Financial Officer and selects Board counsel. The Board also works with the superintendent in setting the strategic plan and vision for the school system, and establishes policies as part of its governance role.
Our Board of Education is highly engaged in our school system, each member having had or currently has children attending school in Madison. Board members actively participate on numerous committees and are present at numerous school and district activities throughout the school year.
Ms. Bartlett is in her second five-year term and also her second as President of the Board. She has one son who attended Rainbow Elementary, Discovery Middle, and now is a junior at Bob Jones High School. Upon graduating from law school, she clerked for Chief Judge Politz on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Prior to moving to Madison, she was employed as Assistant General Counsel of Wal-Mart Stores, and then became the career law clerk to U.S. District Judge C. Lynwood Smith, Jr. in Huntsville. She retired from that position and began service on the School Board in 2011. When she is not at a school-related event, she is usually coaching chess and running chess tournaments in Madison and Huntsville.
Mr. Holtcamp is the Vice-President of the Board, Chair of the Policy Committee, Safety & Security Committee, and member of the Finance Committee. He is in his first term on the Board. Mr. Holtcamp has an engineering degree from Auburn University. He is employed as a Senior Engineer and Intelligence Analyst at Parsons Government Services. His daughter is a senior and his son is a sophomore at James Clemens High School. His other son attends Columbia Elementary. When Mr. Holtcamp is not at a school function, you probably will see him running a swim meet in our community.
Mrs. Spears is our longest-serving board member nearing an end to her second term. The Spears have two sons, one who graduated from Bob Jones High School and one who graduated from James Clemens High School. Their older son began school at West Madison and was rezoned to Heritage. He attended Liberty Middle and Bob Jones High. Their younger son began school at Heritage and was rezoned to Columbia. He attended Liberty Middle and was in JCHS’s first freshman class. Mrs. Spears was an active PTA volunteer for each school her sons attended, serving in every capacity from room mom, to PTA Board member and President to theater mom. Today Mrs. Spears chairs the Board’s Community Relations and Advocacy Committee, and serves as a member of the Safety & Security and Special Education Committees. You will see her in Montgomery during every legislative session advocating for our students and our school system.
Mr. Ferrer is serving in his second year on the Board. His son attended Pre-K at Rainbow, attended Columbia Elementary in grades K-2, and is now a 4th grader at Heritage Elementary. His daughter has attended Madison and Columbia Elementary, Discovery and Liberty Middle, and now is a sophomore at James Clemens High School. Mr. Ferrer is a former Triana Town Council member. He earned a Master’s in Business Administration, with a concentration in accounting, and graduated with honors from the Inter-American University in Puerto Rico and also earned a Bachelor’s in Science, with a concentration in Electronic Engineering. He is currently employed at the Missile Defense Agency on Redstone Arsenal. Mr. Ferrer serves on the Board’s Capital Planning, Finance, and Special Education Committees.
Mr. Cummings is our newest board member serving in his first year. He has one son who attended Horizon Elementary, Discovery Middle and now is a freshman at Bob Jones High School. Mr. Cummings serves on the Capital Planning, Policy, and Special Education Committees. He has a Master's Degree in Community and Regional Planning from Alabama A&M University. He is employed as the Zoning Enforcement Coordinator for the City of Huntsville's Planning Department.
Jan. 14: Secondary Schoolteacher Job Demanding, But Worth It.
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