New year brings changes for Madison City Schools
Students return to school in Madison on Thursday
MADISON – A new school year for Madison City Schools students means new shoes, new notebooks and new perspectives. For the 2026-2027 school year, even the district’s top administrator is new, along with a brand new school campus.
Eric Terrell is the new MCS Superintendent. Terrell served as Interim Superintendent after Dr. Ed Nichols announced his retirement plans this spring.
Terrell had worked in the role of MCS Assistant Superintendent for nine years. During his 23 years with MCS, Terrell has worked at Liberty and Discovery middle schools and James Clemens and Bob Jones high schools; Central Office; classroom teacher; special education; coach; athletic director; assistant principal; and principal.
Former Discovery Principal Jamie Hill accepted a principalship at Gulf Shores Middle School this spring. Kate Wade was promoted to Discovery Principal from her former work as Assistant Principal. At Columbia Elementary School, Kiley Rikard is new Principal. Miranda Bolden resigned as Columbia Principal and now works for the Gulf Shores City Schools district.
In a post this summer, district statistics include 14 schools; 13,600 students; and 1,516 employees.
Russell Branch Elementary School at 200 Madison Branch Blvd. is the new campus in southwest Madison. Kristin Kolenich is Principal. Russell Branch’s expected population will be between 700 to 800 students with 30-plus teachers.
In addition, Russell Branch’s support team will include counselors, instructional coaches, special education staff and support personnel. Nathan Holmes was hired as Assistant Principal. Alicia Waddail is working as a MAAP administrator in the Madison Aspiring Administrators Program. Institute Day saw approximately 1,500 MCS employees gather at the Von Braun Center for inspiration and celebration. District-wide honors were announced: Elementary Teacher of the Year, Brittany Borys at Mill Creek Elementary School; Secondary Teacher of the Year, Amy Eggart, collaborative SPED teacher at Liberty; and District Staff Member of the Year, Abby Turner, School Nurse at Heritage Elementary School.
MCS has placed these educators in new roles: Christina Williams McBeth, Assistant Principal, Liberty; Jordan Hill, MAAP Principal, Mill Creek; Celeste Gilmore, Mill Creek Assistant Principal; Jasmine Simpson, Assistant Principal at Bob Jones; Jamiee Freeman, Volleyball Coach at James Clemens; and Juliana Blagburn, James Clemens Girls Soccer Coach.
The MCS Nursing Program added an Assistant Coordinator of Nursing, June Lawniczek, to assist MCS District Nurse Coordinator Becky Tucker for the growing school nurse demands of the district.
Another ‘new’ face on campus will be Seth Parker as the new head football coach at Bob Jones High School. Parker actually isn’t ‘new,’ because Bob Jones is his alma mater.
Starting in this school year, MCS has 25 more teachers who have achieved the status of National Board Certified Teacher or NBCT. In addition, 11 MCS teachers recertified their NBCT rank. As classes resume, MCS now has 122 National Board Certified Teachers, the most in the district’s history and among the highest in all Alabama school systems, regardless of size.
Discovery Middle School’s roofing and HVAC project is nearing completion for this two-year project. Plans at Discovery are to begin classroom renovations for new lighting, flooring and painting.
The district is completing renovations on the new Technology Department located in downtown Madison. This building will house all district support staff for technology and provide space for equipment and repair centers.
A bid was recently approved for elevator improvements throughout the district. Currently, a new elevator will be installed at Liberty; elevator upgrades will begin at Heritage, Horizon, Discovery and Bob Jones.
An architect is working with a district team to finalize bid specifications for turf at baseball and softball fields at Bob Jones and James Clemens. Discovery, Liberty and James Clemens will receive field bleachers.
The district is changing hiring processes in response to three arrests of MCS employees. A new Human Resources Coordinator will be hired, as will a Human Resources Clerk. They will be tasked with implementing proposed changes, enhancing compliance auditing of personnel information and facilitating improvements in onboarding and early assessment, observation and monitoring of new employees. (madisoncity.k12.al.us on “MCS District Updates” section.
Need to grab a bite? The cafeterias’ pricing schedule has options for students and visitors:
• Breakfast – All students, from pre-kindergarten through seniors, pay $1.75.
• Lunch – Price varies by grade and for adults. Pre-kindergarten through fifth-graders pay $2.75. Sixth- through twelfth-graders pay $3. Lunch for faculty, staff and volunteers costs $3.80. Visiting individuals pay $4.75.
Substantiating the district’s excellence, Madison City Schools ranked among the top 10 districts in Alabama in Niche’s rankings for 2025-2026. Niche has the most comprehensive data on U.S. schools and neighborhoods with more than 100 million reviews and survey responses that explain the status of a school district. (niche.com/about) For more information, visit madisoncity. k12.al.us.
