B.J. Little was named as Winslow High School’s head varsity football coach last week, replacing Gene “Rusty” Robertson. The appointment was made during the Feb. 2 Winslow School District Governing Board meeting.
A number of other coaches were approved for hiring along with Little, including varsity baseball coach Art Griffith, varsity softball coach Becky Barris, track coach Sal Hernandez, golf coach Ted Pate, assistant baseball coach Ricky Greer, assistant track coaches Steve Sartain and Annie Watson, junior varsity baseball coach Craig Moody, assistant softball coach Lynne Sawyer, junior varsity softball coaches Brianna Conatser and Gypsi Gover, and Winslow Junior High School track coaches Christie Bratt and Allan Leonard.
Also hired were district substitute teacher Jacob Range and emergency substitute teacher Lacy Range. Transfers were approved for WJHS reading teacher Gina Greer and WJHS English teacher Allan Leonard. Jack Williams was approved as a volunteer golf coach
The resignation and retirement of Robertson as football coach was also approved.
Little has been an assistant WHS football coach for 16 years, and his appointment was applauded by the audience, and spoken highly of by the board and administration.
Superintendent Doug Watson provided the board a paper on the retire-rehire program and noted that the district has 14 employees under the program, which saves the district $231,000 per year over what it would cost to employ them if they had not retired and $155,000 over what it would cost to replace them with new teachers. He advised the board that the state plans to change the system and require a payment into the state retirement fund, which may have been hurt by the program as presently constituted.
Assistant Superintendent Lance Heister applauded the addition of Al Fritz, Bob Crosswhite and Marilyn Oso to the WHS Wall of Fame.
The board approved donations of $71 for Washington School from Arizona Restaurant Systems Inc. for Sonic Night, and a total of $755 for the WHS Baseball Club in memory of Betty Griffith from several donors, including Melanie Chickering Allen, Carla and Michael Beeson, Georgina Bellman, Jonee Bockelman, Mary Chavez, Cora and Michael Cunningham, Ronald Davini, Alvin and Markette Fritz, Ronald and Carol Hairrell, Rich Hoyt, Mary and Stephen Maule, Don Petranovich and Dolores Stotts.
The 2012 Impact Aid application was approved, and the board heard the first reading of a proposed new policy regarding sick leave.
A program by WHS students on the CTE (Career and Technical Education) program was moved to the next board meeting on Feb. 16.
