School staff and community members voiced support Friday for Ironton coach-teachers Mike Burcham’s and Bob Lutz’s plans to become only paid coaches, although school board members said they have not been formally approached about the idea.

Saturday, April 01, 2000

School staff and community members voiced support Friday for Ironton coach-teachers Mike Burcham’s and Bob Lutz’s plans to become only paid coaches, although school board members said they have not been formally approached about the idea.

"I know they want a three-year contract ," said Tim Collins, who assists the Ironton High School baseball team, at Friday’s board meeting. "Let them go out on their own."

Collins said that Dawson-Bryant school officials took a similar step, hiring for an athletic-director-only position.

Ironton resident John Wolfe agreed with Collins, adding that Burcham’s proposal deserves consideration by the board.

"This is the way it’s going in many schools because the responsibilities of athletic directors have quadrupled in the last four years with the state guidelines they have to meet," Wolfe said.

Burcham, assistant head football coach, holds supplemental contracts for the athletic director’s and other coaching positions.

Ironton resident Rich Mountain urged the board to keep the coaches employed, likening the IHS football program to Marshall University’s football program.

"It would be a big mistake if you don’t keep these fellows," Mountain said.

School board president Rayetta Waldo said the coaches are currently employed in the district and that the board has no efforts under way to remove them, regardless of community rumors.

"Nothing is formally before the board," Mrs. Waldo said. "Anything rumored to be proposed would have to go through the normal negotiation process with the union."

Board member B.J. Hannon said Burcham told superintendent Steve Kingery about the coaches’ plans to leave teaching positions and only work in the sports positions.

Even if the coaches approached the board, the plan would need to come from the teachers’ union first, to be negotiated, because it would create new positions with new salaries, Hannon said.

Hannon said he would consider such a proposal.

Union representative Mary Philabaun told the board the union does not object to the plans, either.

"But you must negotiate the salary," she said.

Burcham and Lutz could not be reached for comment. Neither attended the board meeting.

The board also heard two complaints from community members during the Friday meeting.

Susan Taylor said all students should be offered the same chances but some are not being treated equally.

The board should examine the actions of all its faculty and administration, Mrs. Taylor said.

"Not all students are being offered the opportunities they deserve," she said.

Mrs. Waldo said the superintendent is currently seeking input from district students "in keeping with our wanting to know the perception of the students."

Bill Lightner of Bill’s Light Photography complained that, contrary to board policy, senior portraits are not being taken locally.

Lightner handed out copies of a policy stating the district will seek services from local businesses when cost and quality are favorable.

But companies from out of state have been asked to take the photographs, even though they do not pay local taxes or support school fundraisers, he said.

"I’m not here for Gold Studio; I’m here for Bill Lightner," he said, adding that his business is surviving only because he seeks clients outside Ironton.

Lightner said it is a shame that principals would seek portrait photographers outside Ironton when they have contracted with local photographers year after year.

Local photographers deserve the school system’s business, Lightner said.

Mrs. Waldo said the board could not address Lightner’s concerns at the Friday meeting but asked Kingery to check into the issue and report at the April 17 meeting.

After an executive session on personnel hiring and firing, the board acted on several superintendent’s recommendations:

– The board renewed employment of junior high principal Jerry Watson by a vote of 4-1. Board member Gary Neal voted no.

– The board renewed employment of middle school principal Bill Dressell by a vote of 4-1, with Neal voting no.

Neal would not explain his votes.

– The board renewed Lance Clanton’s position as high school dean by a vote of 4-1. Board member Kathy McGinnis voted no.

The no vote is not directed at Clanton, Mrs. McGinnis said.

"I voted no because at this time I would like to see some changes in the position at the high school," she said.

Kingery also announced that there would be no changes to the district’s cheerleading policy.