MADISON TOWNSHIP — Education has had a monumental impact on Lee Kaple’s life. Little surprise, the Madison superintendent has 43 years experience as an educator.
His goal was to have as much of an impact on students as his teachers had on him. Now, after eight years as Superintendent at Madison, he has announced his retirement.
“Over the last eight years, what I and most proud of is that we were able to raise our scores on state tests and the state report card,” he said. “I am also proud to be leaving the district financially healthy.”
Kapel started his teaching career as a business educator at Pioneer Joint Vocational School, where he spent 22 years. He then was appointed as an assistant principal in Bellevue for a decade before taking the Superintendent position for Wellston City Schools.
In 2011, he took over as Madison’s Superintendent.
What Kaple said he enjoys most about his job is being able to see his students walk across the stage to receive their diplomas each spring.
“That’s what means most to me,” he said. “Seeing them get their diploma — if they aren’t doing that, what is the point of it all?”
Over the past several years, he said, Madison has be awarded an A rating on its graduation rates. Their 2016 graduation scores were at 94 percent over the past four years and 96 percent over five years — a direct reflection of the school district’s staff, Kaple noted.
“All of them,” he said. “From elementary through high school, they are helping them go through education to graduation.”
It’s been a long, rewarding career for Kaple. But he and his wife have been talking retirement for several years. He said he wanted to wait until the completion of the new building for the school district.
Kaple said he has no immediate plans for his retirement. All of his children live in Ohio, he said.
“I’ll miss being with the kids,” he said. “Seeing them in the building, their successes, seeing the progress through the years.”
