Co-op boards seek better communication

 

Last updated 6/18/2015 at 12:03am



At the joint meeting of the Odessa and Harrington school boards June 10 to discuss issues involving the athletic cooperative between the two schools, it was quickly apparent that better and more consistent communication was needed between the boards and the administrators of the two school districts. The meeting was held in Harrington and was chaired by Harrington board chairman Darren Mattozzi. All of the members of both boards were present, as were the two administrators from each school. Also attending were approximately 30 or more members of the Odessa and Harrington communities. Seeing the crowd, Mattozzi immediately requested that everyone remain respectful of other points of view and keep the dialogue calm and factual.

At issue was an ad hoc meeting that took place at an administrators conference at which Odessa’s Suellen White and Jamie Nelson and Harrington’s Mike Perry and Justin Bradford were all present. Each school’s administrators were left with a different view of the outcome. The discussion centered on whether the position of athletic director should comprise one person or two in 2015-2016. Harrington administrators came away from the meeting with the understanding that more discussion would follow. The Odessa administration thought they had received Harrington’s agreement to hire Bruce Todd as the sole athletic director, along with a supplementary position of an athletic supervisor to help out when more than one activity was taking place at the same time and/or Todd was not available. The Odessa board approved this plan, but the Harrington board voted to approve Todd as athletic director for 2015-2016 without approving the overall plan.

After a lengthy discussion, during which Harrington board members pointed out that the informal meeting of administrators should not have been construed as an official meeting of any kind, Odessa board members apologized to the Harrington board for having overstepped its authority. The decision to have a single athletic director, plus an athletic supervisor who would work under Todd to help with supervision and game planning in Harrington was then approved by the joint boards.

The co-op board also agreed to hold three meetings a year on the second Wednesdays of June, December and March to allow all coach and athletic director hiring decisions to be made jointly by the co-operative boards. All coaching decisions except for emergency hires that have to take place between meetings to continue the programs will take place at the co-operative board meeting level. A dispute resolution process was also adopted to deal with issues other than personnel decisions.

AD’s report

Athletic director Bruce Todd presented a review of the winter and spring sports activities that have taken place since the last joint board meeting in January.

In winter sports, the high school boys basketball program had 18 participants. The team had a cumulative grade-point average of 3.391 and received a WIAA Distinguished Team Award. The team had 12 wins and 11 losses, finishing third in NE 1B league. Three playere were elected to the All League team: Sam Schafer, Carsen Weber and Shane Whitaker.

High school girls basketball had 17 participants and also received a WIAA Distinguished Team Award for their cumulative 3.422 GPA. The team had 11 wins and 13 losses, finishing third in the NE 1B league, second in NE 1B District and qualified for the state regional competition. Katie DeWulf of Odessa and Jordyn Tanke of Harrington were named to the All-League Team.

Junior-high boys basketball had 20 participants and a record of 10 wins and no losses (varsity) and nine wins, one loss (JV).

Junior-high girls basketball had 22 participants and a record of five wins, five losses.

The winter cheer squad had four participants. With a 3.839 GPA, they received a WIAA Outstanding Team Award.

In spring sports, the high school track and field team had 16 participants (7 girls/9 boys). The boys had a 3.570 GPA and received a WIAA Outstanding Team Award. The girls had a 3.230 GPA and received a WIAA Distinguished Team Award.

The boys team finished first in the League, first in the District and fifth in State.

The girls team was second in League, first in District and ninth in State. Members elected to the All-League Team were Sam Schafer, Colby Sooy and Lanessa Simon.

The high school baseball team had 11 participants. With a GPA of 3.430, they received a WIAA Distinguished Team Award. Their record was 12 wins and 8 losses. The team qualified for the District playoffs. Named to the All League team were Brad Johnston, Chance Messer and Carsen Weber.

The high school tennis team had nine participants, all girls. With a team gpa of 3.480, the O-H girls were the Team WIAA State Academic Champions in tennis. Team member and singles player Katie DeWulf was 4th in District play, 4th in Regionals and qualified for State.

High school golf had seven participants, all boys. Their cumulative gpa of 3.540 won them a WIAA Outstanding Team Award. Thorsen Wehr qualified for the District Golf Tournament.

The junior-high baseball team had 13 participants and ended the season with a record of 6 wins, 3 losses and 1 tie.

Junior-high track and field had 27 participants (17 girls/10 boys).At the District 7 championship meet, the 6th-grade boys team took first place, the 7th-grade boys took fifth place, the 6th-grade girls took third place and the 8th-grade girls tied for 6th place.

Todd provided information on summer sports activities, which include football, volleyball and basketball camps to provide athletes with additional skills.

The cooperative budget projections for sports in the 2015-2016 academic year are estimated at $222,383. Total expenditures to date for 2014-2015 were $201,180.

Revisions to agreement

A procedure was added to the co-operative agreement allowing the superintendents, principals, a board member from each district and the athletic director to adjust team minimum numbers and/or assistant coaching needs if necessary.

A final agenda item had to do with hiring of coaches for the 2015-2016 fall season. Extensive discussion ensued among board members and with input from the members of the public who attended. Once again, there was the perception that hiring decisions were made by Odessa without input from the Harrington board. Ultimately, the agenda item was tabled until such time as a special meeting can be called to continue the discussion and decide the matter.

Todd also submitted an athletic complaint form that was adopted by the two boards to deal with issues that might come up between coaches, players and parents. The form was envisioned as a way to provide a consistent approach to solving problems at the point where they occur, namely between the athlete and/or parent and the coach. The expectation that there would be a discussion between the athlete and the coach was proposed as the first step in the resolution process. Should the athlete go to an adult within the school with a complaint, the athlete would be instructed to talk to the coach first. Should the student be reluctant, an adult could offer to accompany the student in this first step. If no resolution is reached, the complaint must be put in writing and presented to the coach, who will have five days to respond.

If this response does not resolve the problem, the written complaint will be forwarded to the athletic director, who will attempt to find resolution, again within five days. If this response still does not resolve the problem, it would be forwarded to the principal who again has five days to bring about a resolution. If this response is still not satisfactory, it would be forwarded to the superintendent, who will have five days to respond.

If there is a need to go farther, a co-operative board meeting will be held within the next 30 days to make a final response to the complaint. The decision of the co-operative board will be final.

 

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