Trustees debate coaches pay timing, remove volunteer-replacement language and form work group on bonuses

Trustees and district administrators spent the largest portion of the meeting debating extracurricular coach pay, how to handle coaches when a season is canceled for low participation, and whether to pay coaches year-round or only during the season.

Administrators presented draft language that would make supplemental extracurricular positions subject to budget constraints and allow the district to keep a coach as an assistant or as a volunteer if a program lacks enough athletes for a full team. The draft also proposed giving a volunteer that performs the full season credit toward future placement on the extracurricular schedule.

Several trustees warned language had been misinterpreted in the past, and one trustee said a prior superintendent used similar phrasing to freeze pay and steps across the board, an outcome the trustees did not intend. After discussion, trustees voted by thumbs up to strike the paragraph that had allowed volunteers to be used as a substitute for budgeted positions, citing concerns about misinterpretation and fairness.

The board also debated whether to pay certified coaches over the full year or only during the season. Trustees cited payroll complexity, retirement impacts, and fairness between sports with long and short seasons. The group did not adopt a new payment timetable; several members favored keeping the status quo for the coming year because of levy and budget uncertainty and the operational complexity of changing pay timing.

Trustees discussed a merits-based bonus concept as an alternative: examples included flat bonuses for district or state championships and per-round playoff bonuses for football. Administrators estimated implementing a bonus plan could cost tens of thousands of dollars and stressed such a plan should be vetted by activity directors and administrators; trustees asked staff to form a working group to produce options and administrative procedures for board review.

Trustees also directed staff to publish or reference coach-per-program criteria and roster thresholds in district policy or the admin handbook so coaches and administrators can find consistent guidance across schools.

The board left the current extracurricular salary schedule in place for this year and agreed to continue the work in committee before any ratified change is requested in the negotiated agreement or a levy proposal.