Wolf Point Trustees Discuss Coaching Renewal Policy
The Wolf Point School Board was in agreement with Superintendent Dr. David Perkins’ proposal to make the school district’s extracurricular contract renewal procedures more efficient.
“It just cleans it up and clarifies it,” Perkins explained during the meeting on Monday, June 10.
Perkins said the two procedures that school districts use are opening up all positions for coaches every year or having the athletic director recommend coaches to the board to be rehired. Perkins recommends the second process and says it takes some of the pressures off the board.
“Coaches aren’t always happy to reapply,” Perkins said. “It can be a train wreck either way. It becomes a political football.” Perkins doesn’t like the possibility of opening all positions because applicants may express interest in good faith when the job isn’t truly open.
He stressed that the school district needs a procedure in place to fill the positions.
“The biggest thing is to have a procedure to follow,” board chair Roxanne Gourneau said. The process will read that if the employee has a successful evaluation, the athletic director in collaboration with the superintendent will make a final decision to put the employee back up for the following season for re-hire. If there is a non-favorable evaluation or if the athletic director in collaboration with the superintendent decides to open the position, the coach will be notified with a telephone call and letter where the coach will be told they are allowed to reapply at their discretion. The position will then be reopened and advertised.
Trustee Michael Turcotte hopes that the evaluation process could get better, because there’s always room for improvement. He said the school district is spending a lot of money for the weight room and wrestling room, but the number of participants have been steadily decreasing.
Turcotte said athletic programs can have large roles in students’ lives.
“This is what I see in athletics,” Turcotte said. “I just hope we can get better.”
He noted that he isn’t putting blame on the current athletic director because the system has been in placed for 30 years. He wants school officials to look at other successful programs and see what positive things those programs do to reach their goals.
“I have high hopes for the board and district,” Turcotte said.
Trustees then considered adding e-sports as an activity in Wolf Point. Students will play three or four non-violent games in the program.
“E-sports is the fastest growing sport right now,” Wolf Point High School Principal Kim Hanks said. “This is a whole pocket of kids who don’t participate in athletics. I’m really in support of this.”
Turcotte made the motion to add e-sports. Trustee Keith Higgins seconded the motion, and the motion passed unanimously.
