SHELBY — Michael Browning and his family have made Shelby home.
Browning, superintendent of the city’s school district, recently signed a new three-year contract — which was approved in December by the Shelby Board of Education. He joined the district in 2023.
“My desire to be here (Shelby) is great,” Browning said during a recent interview with Richland Source. “My family and I moved here two and a half years ago. We’ve made this our home. Being part of this community is very special.
“Being awarded that contract is very meaningful and I don’t take that lightly. Our whole goal is to improve and that includes me. I’ve got to improve with us.”
Browning’s teaching years were spent at Hamilton Local School District in Franklin County, starting as a substitute teacher in 2001. Three years later, he became a fourth grade intervention specialist on an emergency certification.
He spent five years teaching high school social studies and six and a half years teaching eighth grade history.
His administrative career began with two and a half years as assistant principal for London City Schools, followed by five years as high school principal.
Browning’s first three years leading Shelby City Schools have been productive. Several infrastructure projects have been completed and the district’s academic performance continues to rise.
The district recently scored a half-star increase on its Ohio School Report Card for the 2024-2025 school year. School report cards evaluate buildings and districts on six components with a one- to five-star scale with half-star increments.
“The growth that we’ve shown academically is truly a reflection on our facilities,” the superintendent said, specifically citing the district’s pre-K-8 building.
The 155,000-square-foot building began housing students and staff about three and a half years ago. He said it provides a place where students feel safe and welcome, which creates an atmosphere where they want to be.
Coupled with a dedicated staff, Browning said those ingredients make great things happen in a district.
Whippet Athletic Complex, high school additions
After bidding adieu to W.W. Skiles Field in August 2022, Shelby opened the Whippet Athletic Complex a month later.
Now more than three years later, the district has maintained the impressive high school athletic facility. Browning said it’s a place “people want to play at.”
“We’ve been very fortunate and we want to improve those areas. If there are things that we can do financially that benefit our building and grounds, we want to do it,” he said.
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At the high school building — which is now about 12 years old — new environments for students to learn have created unique educational opportunities. The Whippet Workforce Lab and digital media room — housed in what originally was the high school library — are two recent assets of the district.
A $1.16 million Career Technical Education Equipment grant from the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce helped make the lab a reality. Members of the public were invited to walk through the new space during an open house at the beginning of October 2025.
The lab and media room also address the different needs of today’s students.
“School is different than it was 30 years ago. You look at technology and the way we have to teach students to learn. It’s just different,” the superintendent said.
The media room is used for the high school’s digital media and podcasting courses, which include skills like interviewing, podcasting, camera work and media editing. In the Whippet Workforce Lab, students have opportunities to work with and learn about things like hydraulics, robotics and electrical systems.
The future
Looking to the future, Browning is keeping the district’s goal simple — to keep improving.
“Whatever programs that we see are going to benefit our students we want to grow,” he said. “We’re very proud of our academic successes. But at the same time, we’re not sitting back and just saying, ‘We got to this point, so that’s good enough.’
“Education is always evolving. As long as we can evolve with it, we will continue to grow.”
