Oswego BOE Considers Restructuring Of Athletics

Pall Times

http://palltimes.com/articles/2012/07/06/news/doc4ff3956375f0b407415182.txt

The message sent during the Oswego City School District’s Board of Education reorganizational meeting was that the new athletic department administration team would not cost taxpayers more money than was spent last year.

Superintendent Bill Crist and Board President John Dunsmoor, in response to questions posed during the public session of Monday’s meeting, said while the job duties had been split, there would be no increase in the district’s payout.

Oswego resident John Sheffield, who teaches in the Central Square school district, asked the board to consider some issues that have been circulating in the community. Since the resignation in May of former Athletic Director Scott Sugar, the teacher said there had been rumors about the duties and cost of Sugar’s replacement.

“I hear a lot of things and I finally decided I would just come here,” Sheffield said. “There seems to be an appearance out there in the general public that, where one person had done the job, some of (his duties have) been farmed out … and no one seems to be able to get a straight answer as to whether this is going to cost the district more money or not with the new people coming in to fill the void that was left by Mr. Sugar. … With Mr. Sugar leaving, and Mr. (Mike) Conners coming in, and assistants being hired, will that cost the district more money?”

While it is not the usual manner for the superintendent or the members of the board of education to address comments made during the public session, Dunsmoor and fellow board member Sam Tripp believed an answer to Sheffield’s question was in order.

“Somebody asks me something, I like to answer,” Dunsmoor said.

“Mr. Sheffield asked some questions, now I’ve got the same questions, so I’d like to hear the answers, too,” Tripp said.

With the board’s permission, Crist then took the opportunity to address the restructuring of the athletic department’s administration. “We did appoint an athletic director,” Crist said. “We also took the position of athletic director and split it from what Mr. Sugar had done in terms of being an athletic director as well as the director of physical education and health. We, in fact, split the athletic director position so that Mr. Conners, who was hired at the last meeting, will have sole responsibilities for interscholastic athletics. He will also serve as our football coach.”

Crist went on to explain that the existing dean of students position at Oswego High School would be adapted to include additional duties relating directly to the physical education of students. “We have a certified administrator who will take on the responsibilities as a certified health teacher as well as the responsibilities of (physical education) and health,” Crist said. “So, the dean of students is encompassing a little bit more in terms of what that position dealt with in the past two years. But, we feel very confident that both positions would be able to be done with the same integrity and, in some cases, more integrity than they had.”

Dunsmoor then took on the question of cost. “Both jobs are being done for less money than they were being done,” the board president explained to Sheffield. “Currently, right now, the two positions filled compared to the two positions that were there last year, are being done for less money.”

The board passed a resolution during its June 12 meeting appointing Conners as the new athletic director at a salary of $80,000, with an additional $7,000 stipend to act as football coach, for a total salary of $87,000.