AD jobs hopefully safe despite budget change
September 9th, 2008 by WesNo doubt like some public school athletic directors around the state, I too got a little nervous late last week upon hearing the news that their positions were about to be included in the DOE's "weighted student" formula of school allocations. This means that the combined $3 million normally set aside for their salaries would now be thrown into the lump sum that gets divided among the state's 55 or so public high schools.
It also means that once a school gets its share of that pot, it's up to the principal how that money is spent. So if a principal were to somehow decide to eliminate the AD position, he or she now has the authority to do so.
Gotta admit, it's a scary thought, especially since we learned last month how some in the DOE and BOE still need to be convinced that athletics is a vital part of our educational system.
But after speaking with a couple people familiar with the situation, I feel more comfortable now that this change will not have a major impact on most public high schools.
For the big schools — like Mililani, Farrington, Kapolei, etc. — it would be unthinkable not to have an AD. Like Kapolei principal Al Nagasako said, if anything, they should be adding AD positions, not taking them away.
And like Farrington principal Catherine Payne said, even if for whatever reason she were to eliminate the AD position, the duties still would have to be performed by somebody else (most likely a VP).
For the smaller public schools like Hana, Ka‘u, Lana‘i, however, there is the possibility of the AD positions being deemed "part-time," with the ADs being assigned other non-athletic duties within the school.
I hope that every principal fully understands just how valuable the AD is, because every AD I know has a wide variety of duties that requires them to work mornings, afternoons, evenings, Saturdays, winter, spring, summer and fall.
The public may not even realize that every AD is required to not only oversee athletic programs with up to 600 participants and coaches, but also organize and coordinate an entire league in one sport.
This means scheduling, contracting officials, securing venues, addressing protests, enforcing rules, etc.
The ADs verify eligibility lists, they hire coaches, they order uniforms and equipment, they organize fund-raisers, they arrange transportation, they maintain facilities, they counsel coaches and athletes, they are site managers for events big and small, they help create or change rules and policies for their own leagues and also state tournaments.
Oh, and they help organize and run the league and state tournaments.
Even with all this responsibility, most ADs I know are energetic and upbeat and do all the hard work matter-of-factly without complaint. They are administrators, but are not afraid to get their hands dirty, whether it's pulling weeds or lining fields or cleaning up bleachers or sweeping/mopping gym floors.
They also follow their teams on the road, offering support on nights and Saturdays.
Keep in mind that Punahou has four people at the top of its athletic administration, and Kamehameha has three. ‘Iolani has two.
No public school has more than one. Each may have one or two "assistant ADs," but those are not official administrators and they are for the most part volunteers who have other full-time responsibilities, like teaching.
The question was raised by the BOE, "What makes an athletic director different" from other school personnel whose salaries are included in the weighted student formula allocation?
I say, "A lot."
But what's done is done, and now it's up to each principal to see whether it's worth it to keep a full-time AD on board.
I hope they all see that it is.
September 9th, 2008 at 10:48 am
Keep in mind that Punahou, Kamehameha, and 'Iolani athletic administrators aren't paid by tax dollars. They are also K-12 schools, so their athletic programs are broader than most public schools' (the few K-12 public schools (e.g., Lana'i, Hana) tend to be small). So that's not a very relevant comparison.
Your position seems to validate the concerns of some BOE members that athletics may become a 'sacred cow,' not subject to value comparisons against other programs.
September 9th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
When I read the article in Monday's Advertiser and the quote from the BOE budget director, it only confirmed what more and more of us are beginning to realize. The DOE and its BOE are broken. They appear to have no concept of what is happening -- and what needs to happen -- at the grassroots level. Our communities are virtually cut off from their own public schools by the statewide bureaucracy that is the DOE. Just look at our public schools. From the outside, they look run down with no sense of community pride. Even Kapolei High, our newest high school ! We need to provide good campus environments, constantly scrutinized by the local community, where learning can take place. "Let the state do it" seems to be the public's stance. Well, the DOE and BOE have proven that they can't do it. Bureaucracies merely serve their own existence -- and, in regard to the DOE/BOE, certainly not the needs of our children by any stretch of the imagination. Hawaii needs a revolution in its approach to education. Let's throw the bums out. Show up at BOE meetings and let them know it. Superintendent Pat Hamamoto (who attended private high school here) should be ashamed. She is not a leader. She is part of the problem. We'd be better off if the state legislature dissolved the DOE administration entirely (how much would that save, Mr. Budget Director...?) and had its own legislative education committee allocate funding. That puts our representatives and senators on the front line of education -- and makes them directly accountable to their communities.
September 9th, 2008 at 3:34 pm
Zzzzzz,
I believe the fact that some private schools have multiple ADs/athletic administrators is relevant because it demonstrates how much work there is to be done with bigger programs, and by comparison at big public schools, most of this work is done by only one person.
I should even add the fact that Punahou, Kamehameha and ‘Iolani all have office staff to help the ADs with paperwork and correspondence. I don't know of any public school AD who has a department secretary.
I understand that private schools are not funded by tax dollars, and I can appreciate the concern about creating "sacred cows" among school programs. But I also think that when doing "value comparisons," there needs to be a full understanding of how much athletics does to serve our students, schools and communities.
Mahalo for reading.
September 9th, 2008 at 9:12 pm
Wes - I saw an article where interim AD Rocky Fraticelli was quoted. What happened to Richard Haru?
September 10th, 2008 at 1:25 am
Haru is on medical leave for one semester after knee surgery. We wish him the best in his recovery.
Mahalo for reading.
September 10th, 2008 at 11:06 am
Hi Wes,
I agree there needs to be full understanding.
My 'sacred cow' comment was largely triggered by your answer to the BOE question -- "A lot." It might just be my perception, but it seemed to me that that answer could be perceived to carry an implicit castigation of the questioner for not already knowing the answer. If perceived that way, it would tend to discourage, rather than encourage, the dialog necessary for such understanding.
September 10th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
If that question is raised to begin with, does it not show the possibility that the questioner might have only surface knowledge of the athletic director's duties? If the questioner fully understood all the "extras" and unseen job-specific responsibilities an AD provides, shouldn't he/she at least acknowledge that understanding before raising the question?
If anything, taking personal offense to an answer like, "A lot" and using that as an excuse to discourage dialogue would suggest arrogance on the part of the questioner, a general arrogance that is already perceived by many taxpayers.
The bottom line for anyone involved in education is, "What is best for the students?" That should override any arguments about semantics or taking things personally.
If this switch is truly what is best for the students, then so be it. But we are now putting everything in the hands of individual principals to do the right thing, so my only concern is that they all live up to that trust.
Mahalo for reading.