Getting It Right

Chalk one up in the win column for our school board.

On Monday night the board voted 7-0 against administration's recommendation to continue with co-head coaches for boy's varsity basketball , opting to return to a single head coach.

Granted this was an opportunity for some much needed saving of face, and the right decision was crystal clear. The path to the right decision couldn't have been easier to follow even if the board had a Garmin GPS unit to guide them. But having a crystal clear vision has not always worked well for our school board; on a number of occasions there was equal clarity regarding the right thing to do, yet the board opted to muck things up.

For once, a contentious decision seemed to come quickly to the board, with minimal grandstanding from board members. We are a little disappointed however, that not a single board member--particularly those incumbents that hype fiscal accountability--mentioned the need to do away with co-head coaches simply because it cost the district (and taxpayers) $5,000 more than a single head coach. Beyond the obvious, "NO ONE is doing co-head coaches" argument, a single head coach just makes crystal clear sense from a fiscal position.

We'd like to see this as a win-win situation, and it is a win for the board, the kids, the parents, and Coach Boos (who will be re-called as head coach based on seniority). But we also need to remember that this does come at a cost...Jay Swanson has to be laid off from the position. Mr. Swanson came in and did what administration asked of him after they created a mess of the situation. Sadly, he becomes just another administrative pawn in this game.