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CA: Woodland: No athletic directors... Volunteer coaches

10-Aug-2011  Woodland Daily Democrat

Behind the move is a further cut in the extra duty stipends in the Woodland Joint Unified School District's budget. Since a fall 2009 cut, coach's stipends have been 70 percent of their original amount. The new budget plan would cut the current funding in half, to 35 percent of the pre-'09 numbers.

The district and the Woodland Education Association is currently at an impasse, with the union looking to keep the funding at last year's level. The two sides are scheduled to meet again on Aug. 18 to try and work out a deal.

"Absent any negotiated settlement, we have had to tell all of our coaches (and other positions that receive stipends) that at this point we can only offer you this position at a voluntary basis," said Don Beno, the district's assistant superintendent of human resources.

If the union and district reach an agreement, stipends would then be paid retroactively.

According to Beno, the athletic directors at the two high schools chose not to stay on as volunteers and the administration of each school picked up the responsibilities. Carolynne Bottum, a learning community director at Pioneer, will be in charge of athletics at Pioneer. Lance Van Court, a learning community director at Woodland, is now in charge of athletics at Woodland. Learning community director is the new title for vice principals at the two schools.

Former Pioneer's athletic director Linda Merrida doesn't think a learning community director will be able to handle both the duties of athletics director and their academic role without delegating some of the responsibility.

"I don't think people realize how many hours (athletic directors) put into the position," she said. "In order to organize athletic contests, there are a lot of things a person does behind the scenes that I don't think people are aware of."

Rick Secrist, Woodland's former athletic director, said he was never offered the option to stay on as a volunteer and was told that the position was being eliminated.

"I would like to be the athletic director and I'm disappointed that that decision was made, but the bottom line is helping the kids," Secrist said.

His son, Woodland baseball catcher Mike Secrist, will be a junior this year at Woodland. His daughter, volleyball player Alexis Secrist, will be a freshman at Woodland in 2012.

Secrist assisted in the transition by helping Van Court learn his duties.

"(The responsibilities include) helping with fundraising, scheduling (referees), working with issues with players and other teams; conflicts like that," Van Court said, adding that he will also be making sure schedules are correct and he will help hire and evaluate coaches.

Currently, the district is seeking coaches for five open positions between the two high schools. Beno said interviews will take place on Monday.

If the district and the union fail to reach an agreement, Beno said the administration would decide what positions would receive stipends. Those that receive the stipends would get them at 100 percent. All other coaches would be volunteers, with any stipends coming from community funding.

What types of fundraising the district will rely on is unclear, but the schools typically rely heavily on boosters.

"It's the typical fundraising mechanisms that are in place right now and boosters are the primary thing," Beno said.

Like coaching stipends, the athletic director stipends could return. The Woodland and Pioneer athletic directors earned $5,460 stipends last school year. The 2009 cuts dropped the original $7,800 figure by 30 percent, matching the 70 percent funding of other stipends.

"If we are able to come a settlement, there may some people that are willing to say, 'OK, for a 35 percent stipend I'm willing to step back in as AD,'" Beno said. "We are making plans for sort of a worst-case scenario that we are unable to do that. So at this point, I'd say (the responsibility) is likely to stay with the administration, but it's not beyond the possibility to move back (to athletic directors)."

There is a precedent for such a move. The Natomas Unified School District also eliminated the position, before recently restoring it at both Natomas and Inderkum high schools.

"As athletic directors, we work behind the scenes," Secrist said. "If we're really doing a good job, nobody really knows what we do because we are there to support our coaches and make sure things run smoothly for them. ... Natomas tried it and realized, 'wow, this is a lot of work.' So you put that on top of all the workload of vice principals and there's not enough time in the day to do both."

Secrist is continuing this fall as the offensive coordinator for the Woodland Wolves varsity football team.

Merrida, who will stay on in her role as the Pioneer varsity softball head coach, said she took the good with the bad in her role as athletic director.

"You're not going to please everyone, but someone had to do it," she said. "And now one administrator can do it."

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