School board declines to address resignation issue

The Clovis Municipal Schools Board of Education on Tuesday heard from two men and accepted a petition asking for reinstatement of the school's former athletic director and baseball coach. But board members took no action on the issue.

"We can't. It's board policy. These matters need to be addressed with the administrators," Board President Max Best told the crowd of about 70, most of whom left after Best's response.

Best said state law gives the board a limited role in personnel matters.

Todd Kuykendall submitted the petition to reinstate former AD Brian Stacy and baseball coach Drew Hatley, who submitted their resignations May 11 over a student discipline issue.

"This all started with the irresponsible decision of a baseball player," said Kuykendall, the parent of a player on the team. "He was suspended for a week, yet one man lost his job and another had to relinquish his coaching position."

Kuykendall went on to say that punishing teachers and coaches for the egregious acts of students sets a poor precedent for students. Kuykendall ended his statement to the board with a question. "If this act (by a student) was not egregious enough to warrant the dismissal from participation in athletics of this player, then why did these two men lose their jobs?"

Next, Steve Watkins addressed the board calling the resignations unfair.

"If my coaches had been held responsible for every bad decision I made as a kid, they'd be in prison," Watkins said.

Superintendent Terry Myers has declined comment on what led to the resignations or whether Stacy and Hatley were asked to resign. Stacy has not responded to requests for interviews. Hatley has declined comment.

"It was a student disciplinary issue; that's all I'll be able to discuss," Myers said. "When we make decisions here, we try to make them in the best interests of the students and the district."

Stacy was hired as athletic director in November 2005.

Hatley was in his first season as head baseball coach. He did retain his positions as a social studies teacher and assistant football coach, Myers said.

In other business Tuesday:

• The board approved the 2012-2013 budget, which included a 2.5 percent raise for all Clovis school employees.

Jelayne Curtis, executive assistant to the superintendent, said the raise is the first in almost four years and is not the result of increased funding for Clovis schools, but of conservative money management that left the district with a healthy year end balance of $5 million. The surplus will allow the district to add nine full time staff positions.

Jose Cano, chief financial officer for the district, said the school district's 2012-2013 budget is $90.3 million. Last year's budget was $129.4 million, but Cano said the figures are inflated due to a requirement that the district budget all construction projects, including those that had not yet received funding.

The requirement was dropped this year, Cano said.

• Students from La Casita Elementary School presented school board members with hardback copies of a book they published this year, using math terms that correlated with the alphabet. The book included definitions and rhymes written by the children.
• Peggy Brady was honored with the New Mexico School Boards Association Excellence for Student Achievement award for nearly 30 years of outstanding service in the junior high music department.