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With academic success at hand, Azle ISD is looking to boost its athletic fortunes. Superintendent Dr. Ray Lea believes a lot of that could happen by hiring the “right person” to serve as the district’s athletic director – a position that was discontinued three years ago.
The school board voted Tuesday night to create the athletic director’s position and take applications to fill it.
In February 2006, athletic director Gene Phillips resigned his post to take a higher-paying job in San Antonio’s Alamo Heights ISD. Instead of filling the position, the district decided to spread the AD’s duties to several newly created positions. The director of student services position was created by a 5-2 board vote to oversee not only the athletic program but other areas like food service, transportation and drug testing. This position was also responsible for overseeing the work of three newly created “facilitators” who handled the day-to-day duties formerly carried out by the AD. That May, Skip McCambridge was hired as director of student services, a position he still holds. That same month, AHS baseball coach Scott Anderson and softball coach Vera Ortega were selected as the boys and girls athletic facilitators, and Bob Hayes was selected as facilitator for the fine arts programs. The reasons for doing away with the AD position were, at best, sketchy.
Evelyn O’Neal, a board member at the time, said a committee a few years earlier had recommended cutting the AD’s position in order to save money. It is also likely that personalities, not just finances or educational needs, played a role in the decision. Lea said his goal is to do what is best for the athletes of Azle. That’s why he brought it up to the board Tuesday night. “We just need to have a clear line of authority and communication to do what’s best for our athletes,” he said. “We need to know who’s in charge – and who they (coaches) need to report to. I just think we need to get back to having an athletic director.” Lea said he’s not necessarily in favor of having an AD who also serves as head football coach. “My concern is for all sports – boys and girls and even our junior high level sports,” he said. “My concern is, a football coach gets pretty busy during football season.” He said the district needs an experienced athletic person who is interested in “helping all our programs flourish.” “We need someone who will help our coaches grow and improve,” he said. McCambridge said having a full-time AD on board will alleviate some of his workload and allow the facilitators to simply go back to coaching. Currently, he oversees the programs while Anderson and Ortega handle “all the leg work,” he said. “I give direction, discuss personnel and facilities and try to be the go-between for them and the board and Dr. Lea,” he said. “They do a great job.” He said he doesn’t think separating the AD position from the head football coaching position – a Texas tradition – will hurt Azle’s chances of attracting good candidates for the job. “What we have to consider is if a head football coach/athletic director position is the best fit for Azle,” he said. Lea said the district is already advertising its AD position on the Texas Association of School Administrators web site, regional service center sites and at area colleges. He said he’d like to have a list of names to present to the board by the December meeting – or maybe even in November. “I think we can address this pretty quickly,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of other important issues to deal with as well.” |
