Rhea Co. AD making changes to policies

[Rhea Co.]

Ok normally I don't get to involved in the politics side of sports but this is got me thinking. I just want to get some feed back from some people outside of Rhea. Here is the articles explaining what our AD is doing. I agree with alot of the ideas but some I got to question. Such as the idea to make the kids and partents sign code of conduct contracts? I mean is it really that necessary to make partents and the athletes sign contracts. I know there is a a lot of people split in what he is wanting to do especially with fundraising and how the money is distributed.

 

RCHS??™s Heath suggests changes in A.D. duties

By: Max Hackett

Source: The Herald-News

03-19-2008

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Rhea County High School Athletic Director Scott Heath suggested some major changes in the role the A.D. plays in Golden Eagle sports Thursday. Heath made his remarks to the Rhea County School Board at a workshop.

 

Saying that there is no job description for the position, Heath offered the board a description that he said would give the A.D. the authority he needs to meet his responsibilities. Heath also suggested that a job description be created for the position of athletic trainer at the high school.

 

In addition, Heath suggested that all coaches be required to sign a contract making them accountable for their assigned financial accounts. Under the draft contract submitted by Heath, coaches would be personally responsible for any expenditure that exceeds the funding in their sport??™s account. The contract would also require that coaches comply with and enforce the relative rules and regulations of state law, the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association, the Rhea County Department of Education and the school where the coach is employed.

 

Under a draft job description Heath submitted to the board, the A.D. would have greater authority in the area of hiring and firing of coaches and would have direct supervision of the budgets of all sports with the responsibility to approve all purchases and check requests.

 

???Coaches need to stay within their budget,??? Heath said. ???If you are supposed to start the next season with $800 in your account, you can??™t spend down to zero in the current season and then ask for more money to start the next season.???

 

Heath said he presently has no control over coaches spending.

 

???The principal approves the checks,??? he said. ???If a coach wants to go around the A.D. and get the principal??™s approval there is nothing the A.D. can say about it.???

 

The draft presented by Heath also gives the athletic director the authority to reward, discipline or dismiss coaching personnel.

 

???If the athletic director was to fire a coach, that would only be from the coaching position, which is supplemental, and wouldn??™t affect the coaches job as a teacher,??? Heath said.

 

Other responsibilities included in the draft job description would be the direct supervision of the entire athletic staff, including the responsibility to submit performance evaluations. The A.D. would also represent the high school at all regional and state meetings, and enforce and interpret all regulations, policies and procedures related to athletics.

 

While not included in the draft job description, Heath suggested that financial donations to Golden Eagle sports from business and industry be collected in the athletic director??™s account rather than individual booster clubs.

 

???The booster clubs could still do fundraisers and still make purchases to support their team,??? Heath said.

 

Addressing school board member Bimbo McCawley, the manager of La-Z-Boy plant 19, Heath said that some sports are hurt by the current method of fundraising.

 

???When the football booster club comes to you, and then the basketball club comes, and then the baseball club comes, you get hit up again and again. Then when the soccer team shows up or the tennis team, but you??™ve already given all you can give and those sports get left out,??? he said. ???It would be better if we sat down with you one time and asked to make a donation that would benefit all sports.???

 

Heath said the athletic director should also have responsibility for all sports facilities at the high school.

 

???He should make sure that the fields are ready, the lighting is good and the facilities are safe,??? he said. The draft job description also makes the A.D. responsible for game management of all sports, including the oversight of the game administrator, security, trainer and gate personnel.

 

The athletic director would also have the duty keep records, including reports from each head coach at the end of each individual season; an annual inventory at the end of the season and prior to ordering for he next season; budget requests from each coach and the final request to the administration; financial reports and minutes of all meetings concerned with athletics; the schedules of all sports and TSSAA eligibility and participation forms.

 

In response to a question from school board member B.J. McCoy, Heath said that with the added responsibilities the supplement paid to the athletic director would increase. The current supplement is $2,651 annually, Heath said. He also said the supplement to the athletic trainer should increase with the new responsibilities in the draft job description for that position.

 

McCawley told the board that he thought Heath had made a good presentation and that he supported the idea in general. County School Superintendent Dallas Smith asked Heath to review his drafts and bring his final recommendations to the school board at its April meeting.

 

 

 

High school AD develops athletic policy manual

By: Tiffany Soyster

Source: The Herald-News

04-06-2008

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

If Rhea County Department of Education??™s Athletic Department policies and procedures were eggs, Rhea County High School Athletic Director Scott Heath put all the eggs in one basket and presented it to the athletic committee.

 

During a special called workshop of the Board of Education??™s Athletic Committee on Wednesday, Heath presented a compiled manual of policies and procedures for the Rhea County Athletic Department. With the exception of the job description of the AD, Heath said the manual could be used countywide.

 

The manual includes a mission statement for the county athletic department, points to remember and job descriptions for the coaches. It also includes a code of ethics and a list of responsibilities of all coaches. Other policies regarding purchasing, inventory, revenue, crowd control and disciplinary procedures are included.

 

According to School Board Member Bimbo McCawley and Heath, this manual is something that the county has never had.

 

???This is something new for the county,??? Heath said. ???We don??™t have a policy for athletics. We have to start somewhere.???

 

The manual includes contracts to be signed by the coaches, principals and the athletic director. The contract is an acknowledgement of responsibilities and regulations set forth by TSSAA, the department of education, athletic director (if applicable) and the school that the coach is at. In addition, the manual includes a contract to be signed by athletes and parents.

 

???It says here are the rules and regulations, if you don??™t abide by them, here are the consequences,??? Heath said.

 

Making the manual county specific, rather than school specific, means that all coaches, regardless of sport, position or school, are held to the same standards.

 

Though the group did not go into specifics regarding the entire manual, Heath was asked what he saw as the weakest area for the athletic department.

 

???We are weak in equipment inventory and purchasing. Also, we don??™t have a student athlete contract. We need one to say ??