Resolutions For Board Consideration

I'm bringing three discussion items and three resolutions for the special School Board meeting to be held this Tuesday, 30 Sept. at 4:00 PM at the Hall Center.  The resolutions can be found here.

The Board has requested this meeting to address lingering concerns, in multiple areas, arising from this month's regular meeting-a meeting none of us will soon forget due to the way in which it devolved so spectacularly.

So at this Tuesday's meeting, which is unusual in some respects and unprecedented in others, we will be considering a vote on one resolution that "directs" our employee, the Board's General Counsel, to administer an investigation of numerous irregularities concerning athletic eligibility at several schools, allegations that have surfaced in the wake of the firing of Willie Spears.

Additionally, the board will be considering a vote on two resolutions that "request" the Superintendent, who is not our employee, he is elected, to bring recommended policy and/or procedure for enhancing physical security at future Board meetings and establishing a policy for a board vote that addresses the numerous athletic eligibility issues we are currently confronting and will be investigating.  Obviously, the intent is to address the issue now with good policy so as not to have these things continue.

While I characterize this meeting as unusual and I refer to some aspects of it as "unprecedented", and this may sound strange, I call this meeting this with good reason.  In past instances where the board and superintendent were at loggerheads over an issue, we have been congenial and tried to "work it out."  In one instance, the Board's audit committee and the Board requested one particular issue be

A Gut-Wrenching, No-Win Vote

The room was packed with passionate supporters, but it did not change the fact that rules were broken, procedures were not followed, and direct orders were ignored.

As a result, six players are ineligible to play football.  Scholarships are on the line, and three seniors will more than likely not play ball in their senior year.

The situation with EHS and Coach Spears was tragic; but more importantly it was unnecessary-didn’t have to go down this way at all. 

Spears was given direction to correct his behavior on multiple occasions, beginning in May, and continuing through August 30^th.  Coach chose to not correct the behavior, and as a result he left us no room to maneuver, he painted us into a corner.

This was a tough vote, there were/are no winners, and the only thing that may come from this is that all coaches and programs will now be on notice and transfers will be scrutinized.  As they should be.

And I certainly hope we are able to get these 6 players back on the field ASAP.  They are the victims here-not Willie Spears!

Had I the latitude, I would have fired Spears as the coach, made him take an ethics/recruiting course, I’d have suspended him from coaching for 24 months, and I would have transferred him to Warrington, Bellview, Ferry Pass, or Workman Middle school to work the rest of his one year contract.  I would have put him on probation with a very short leash, but I would have let him teach as I believe he has the capacity to reach young people and be a