On the last Monday of every month, the Fayette County Board of Education holds a “business meeting.” While in-person attendance is usually light, many of us watch the recording and review the attachments as posted on the agenda. The personnel report is a regular part of this meeting. This report shows staff new hires and resignations, as well as coaching elections, and resignations. The latest report can be found here.
Given our financial situation, and the subsequent decision to remove resources from our schools thus, increasing class size, the subject of coaching resources in our schools is an interesting topic.
Our excellent Fayette County Schools have a record of not only wonderful academic success but also championships in many sports to include football, basketball, soccer, track and field, and competitive cheerleading. The question is how do we continue to provide the best resources for our children’s success with our limited financial resources?
First, it is doubtful that many of our coaches are paid even minimum wage when their time invested is divided by their FCBOE coach’s stipend. I understand some coaches may earn an additional supplement from the booster club or an honorarium as a reward for program success.
It is important to recognize the success of programs using “community coaches.” These coaches are not teachers or even FCBOE employees. One example is the multiple state championships won by McIntosh Competitive Cheerleading Team which spans at least the past four years. Another is an assistant coach on the McIntosh Soccer team which has won several state championships over the year.
On the other end of the spectrum, due to his doctorate degree. Coach Garvin of Sandy Creek was our school system’s highest paid teacher before he retired.
Given our limited financial resources, each new opening at our schools gains additional importance as a teacher’s academic qualifications may be weighed against their ability or willingness to coach a sport.
The ability to contribute past the classroom has always been a weighed factor in hiring teachers. I am aware of a situation where a school outside our county had the opportunity to hire a teacher with multiple AP qualifications; instead they hired a lesser qualified teacher who could coach golf. The school had to discontinue two AP classes because they had no one qualified to teach the classes.
We could see the same situation play out in our system given our decentralized hiring model where a principal makes the decision to hire a lesser qualified teacher who is a coach. There is no oversight to make sure we maximize our children’s educational opportunities,
As I said before, there are opportunities to find resources who can coach but are not teachers. For example, younger coaches at our local academies (Home Plate, MOBA) can take the position for the opportunity to sell lessons and memberships. We have several retired professional athletes who are our neighbors.
I have shared that my son Jackson was a student-athlete at Trinity Christian School. In his eighth-grade year, the entire coaching staff were “community coaches” except the head of school. That team went on to win the GISA Middle School State championship and that same class won the GHSA class A championship 4 years later. In my son’s senior year, the community head baseball coach was a retired player from the Atlanta Braves.
My point is simple: we have people with the ability to help coach our Fayette County Schools sports teams without either sacrificing academic excellence or incurring additional cost. We have a community filled with talented neighbors. We do not need to make a choice between academic resources and coaches. With determination, we can have both.
[Neil Sullivan is a finance/accounting executive and CPA. He has lived in Peachtree City over 20 years with his wife Jennifer, a Fayette County History teacher and son Jackson, a student at Erskine College. He has been active in public school related issues in Fayette County, leading three E-SPLOST initiatives as chairman of Fayette Citizens for Children. He has appeared previously on these pages in letters to the editor.]
Thanks Mom. To be very clear, some community coaches do get a supplement either from BOE or the boosters. My main focus here is when we have to hire, with limited resources and supersized classrooms, we need to make sure we hire the best possible teacher before worrying about coaching. I am aware of situations like the one I mentioned above.
We are supposed to be in the education business. Teachers are the core of that business.
But I also agree on the central office.
Neil, I appreciate that you are offering creative solutions to address FCBOE’s budget crunch. We certainly have a large pool of talented and generous citizens in our community. Volunteering is admirable. It should not be the answer to our financial situation. The only viable solution is to trim the fat at the administrative level. No other options should be entertained.
You have literally hit the nail on the head. In particular when stating that some teachers are hired based on coaching vs the highest qualified teacher for the classroom.