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Proposal to increase coach’s salary draws heated debate
By Derek Hodges
A proposal to increase the salary of a coaching position drew mixed reactions at the April 27 school board meeting.
The debate over the terms of employment for the new Smoky Mountain High School men’s basketball coach was started by board member Mark Brooks, who pointed out the effect athletics has on lowering the drop-out rate.
“Our drop-out rate is too high, we need to make sure we do everything we can about it,” Brooks said. “I was concerned when I saw that we advertised the position of men’s basketball coach as a 10-month position.”
Brooks said giving the position an 11- or 12-month salary would attract more and better applicants. Having a better coach would mean a better team and increased participation, which could help lower the county’s high drop-out rate, he said.
“There’s a lot of things that will go into helping to lower that drop-out rate and this is just one of them,” Brooks said. “We want to have the best arts program and the best teams we can possibly have to help with that.”
Brooks, who said he considered the idea for some time, neglected to request the item be put on the board’s agenda as an action item. Instead, it was listed in the “Information” section of the meeting, during which no new business can be considered. He was directed by board Chairman Ken Henke to amend the agenda if he wanted to make a motion about the coaching position.
Brooks moved to amend the agenda so he could formally make a motion on the coaching position. That motion died when none of the four other board members seconded it.
While board member Nathan Moss said he would like more information on the issue, board member Ali Laird-Large expressed some reservations to the idea.
“We have lots of other programs at the high school that we don’t offer anything; people leading plays and such on a 10-month salary with no supplement,” Laird-Large said. “We have to make sure what we’re doing is consistent. What about women’s basketball?”
“If you’d let me make my motion, you’ll see how I take care of that,” Brooks said.
“I would have liked for this to come from the high school,” Laird-Large said. “It’s going to be their budget. I don’t disagree with what you’re saying. I’d like to give every single solitary person that works with kids after school $10,000 right now, but I can’t do that. We’d have to just think about 11-months at this point to be equitable.”
The 11-month suggestion stemmed from the fact that women’s basketball Coach Cindi Simmons is paid an 11-month salary, Laird-Large said.
While Moss said he could support the idea with more information, he was also concerned about the pay discrepancies it could create.
“There’s an equity issue I think we need to look at,” Moss said. “I think we need to look at the budget to make sure we’re not going to be sacrificing instructional positions.”
The talk continued, becoming confused at times. At one point three board members and SMHS Principal Alex Bell were fighting to be heard. Henke tried to wrap up the discussion by suggesting that Brooks meet with Bell and Superintendent Sue Nations to discuss the idea.
The idea was tough to kill, however, with several board members vying for the last word.
Moss said he was upset that Brooks surprised the board with the proposal.
“I don’t want to vote against something when I don’t know what I’m voting against,” Moss said.
“I haven’t even been able to make a motion,” Brooks said. “You don’t even know what the motion is. You’re scared to hear it.”
With that the meeting moved on, but Brooks wasn’t finished. After the board considered the rest of its action items, Brooks requested a five-minute recess to review the guidelines on motions. Returning with an old copy of the board’s manual, Brooks questioned board attorney Paul Holt about whether he needed to amend the agenda to make his motion. Holt said he did.
After reconvening the meeting, Henke again allowed Brooks to request amending the agenda. This time his motion found a second from Moss, who still expressed concerns about the proposal.
“You’re really putting this board on the spot, Mr. Brooks, and it has nothing to do with a basketball coach,” he said. “I’m kind of offended over this. I want Smoky Mountain to have a good basketball coach and I don’t want anyone to perceive that I’m against that.”
“I apologize that I didn’t get to talk to you,” Brooks said. “If we had two or three months here, I wouldn’t do this. Our superintendent told them to (advertise the position) as 10 months.”
Brooks’ motion to amend the agenda passed, with board member Thurza McNair the only abstaining vote.
With the agenda amended, Brooks moved that the men’s basketball position be advertised with a 12-month salary and the women’s basketball coach also be paid for 12 months. That motion died for lack of a second.
Brooks made a subsequent motion that the men’s position be advertised as 11-months. That motion also failed to garner a second.
After the meeting both Laird-Large and Moss said they are not opposed to the suggestion. However, they both expressed concerns about ensuring the increase is equitable and voiced a desire to have more information before considering the proposal again.
Nations said she made the decision to advertise the position as 10-months because that’s how former men’s basketball Coach Scott Hartbarger was paid. She agreed that the issue is one of equity. Raising the salary of one person who leads an extra-curricular activity would not be fair to others, she said.
“If you had unlimited resources, it would be absolutely no issue,” she said. “You have to use your resources effectively and efficiently, though.”
Nations said Brooks had not contacted her to discuss the issue further as of Tuesday afternoon.
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