I'm not close to the Rec sports, but I have heard a name mentioned a month or so ago, Who is it you are hearing of?

Stacy Bennett

Yep, That's the same name I heard about a month and a half ago. (amazing isn't it!)I think he has ties to some of the players/parents through his company Southeastern Athletics in Guyton. His group puts together travel teams for a fee. It will be interesting to see how the coach selection process works as I suspected this was the plan all along.

Does the Head Coach have to be an employee of Bryan County Schools?

To those who may want some insight on Stacy Bennett from a parent that is not associated with the rec . . . My son takes lessons from Stacy in RHill and is only 10 - we play travel ball out of Savannah - not at the Rec (we do live in RHill and go to schools in RHill)! If he does apply for the Coaching position or has applied for the position - I'll be the first to say - he would make a great addition to Richmond Hill High School and to the baseball team. He came highly recommended from a Minor League Pitching Coach that works with my son in his off season (used to play in the Major League) that lives in Richmond Hill and we have not been disappointed at all - my son's skills and knowledge has grown by leaps and has become a better player/pitcher! Stacy has a great disposition and works very well with kids of all ages! If he does apply - it would be a big loss to Richmond Hill High School if they don't pick him up! Look at some of the players he has helped get into college baseball (one for example: Colby May - UGA). So before you judge - go out and take a look at how he works with the boys and how knowledgeable he is and see his qualifications - you won't be disappointed!

It is the process that is being judged not the potential candidates.

gadogs10- I know him to and I agree with everything you said. I was not trying to bash him at all. My point is more about what NittyGritty said. The process being judged. Football a midseason fire which was not fair for Brocato or Guy. Now Curry after one of the best RH baseball season's ever. They had Bennett's name going around a month or so ago during the season. What would have happened if they would have won a round or 2 in the playoffs? Maybe I don't have all the inside details why Curry was let go. Wonder if he will comment on it. I guess the good thing is baseball will go on and they have a lot of talent coming back.

I spoke with the RHHS Athletic Director and am very impressed with the process he has put in place to select a coach. I can assure all that the process he described to me and the attributes that they are looking for in a replacement coach are centered around what is best for the children.

I was assured that no one has an inside track and each candidate will be assessed equally in many areas. Bottom line.....I believe that the process will be fair and the person selected will be the best choice for the program.

Charlie Johnson

This is all happening very quickly. Was this position advertised to allow a large selection of candidates or was it word of mouth to specific candidates? If it wasn't advertised that is a shame. Looking at this from outside the process doesn't seem fair to Coach Curry and his staff. We should be looking for experienced coaching or at least prior high school coaching experience. Coach Curry and his staff appeared to have the program going in the right direction. Why the change?

The lone candidate mentioned on here does not seem to have any prior experience coaching high school baseball. A quick Google search shows the only experience seems to be as a player, personal instruction and travel ball. Teaching experience? Coaching a high school team is not like coaching a travel team loaded with talent at every positon for a few games every summer. An experienced coach is needed to make sure the team functions well on the field and at school. The coach must work with the talent available at the school, unlike travel ball where players come in from a region or large geographic area and are typically recruited for their talent. Not much coaching is required for a travel team.

We should be selecting coaches based on their proven ability to get results not because some parents want a certain person. How was the committee selected? Do any of the members have a connection to any of the candidates? It should be a transparent process for everyone that pays school taxes. We have plenty of time to make the right decision.

I don't know about the baseball situation particularly, but anyone should have seen this coming. Football Guy has a history of leaving fired coaches in his wake everywhere he's been. This is just another example. Ask Brocado.

In my previous blog, I failed to mention that Stacy has played Major League Baseball himself (Mets)and has many other qualifications. Regarding the comment from 2008Champs - (Not much coaching is required for a travel team) - you are sooooooo wrong - you must not have a child that plays travel baseball or you would not be quick to say it's not the same. My son who plays 10U practices 4 days a week for 2 - 2-1/2 hours each practice plus has an hour lesson then plays tournaments on the weekend which is no less than 4 games. They only have one month off each year and practice or play tournaments the rest. (And when I ask him if he would like to take a break - his answer - no I love playing ball). It is a huge commitment from both the parents and the coaches (who are usually not paid for their time). These travel coaches that put their time into travel baseball keep teams together for a years - they start at 9 years old and hold most of them until they reach the college age - yes they can pull from a wide range of talent but look at the talent available in Richmond Hill that could be playing for the Wildcats! Why do you think everyone leaves Richmond Hill at such young ages to play travel baseball - because they do not get the level of baseball at the Rec and in order to get where they need to be - travel ball is the only solution. Again, typically travel coaches are not paid and put alot of time into these teams. They may change a player here or there - but they keep them together as long as possible. The coach makes certain these kids keep their grades up, are well behaved both on-off the field and have a well balanced social life. You are right on one thing - coaches must work with the talent at the school - Richmond Hill would have alot more talent if we could get the right coach in to work with the kids. Do you ever wonder why all of the talented Richmond Hill kids play travel baseball and then go to BC, Calvary, Savannah Christian or other private schools - because of the sports teams and what they offer. These schools have more of an opportunity for advancement into top universities. When I watch the news reports about the local kids being picked up by Universities such as Georgia, GT, Auburn, Florida, etc., unfortunately, you don't hear of too many that are coming out of Richmond Hill - they are all coming from the schools I mentioned. I can only imagine what could happen to Richmond Hill if we got a coach like Stacy in the position. So with that being said - he is more qualified than most - played professionial ball - so he's had years of training, coaches travel teams - so he's had experience coaching, placed young boys into major universities and into minor/major leagues baseball - and he has teaching experience from another county. Stacy has the experience and would be the best thing that could happen to Richmond Hill baseball and what it could bring to the talented boys!

gadogs10,
I am curious; how much teaching experience does Mr. Bennett have? Where and in what subjects? Also your comment "The coach makes certain these kids keep their grades up, are well behaved both on-off the field and have a well balanced social life." has not been any experience that I nor anyone else I know has had with a travel coach; as that is not their job as a travel ball coach. They are there to win plain and simple. Win tournaments.

I would also caution against the thought that if you played it makes you a coach. Playing and coaching are two completely different things. I know,as I have known a few major league players that have shared that with me. I also do not believe that every Assistant Coach would make a good Head Coach as the roles are very different.

You are obviously a big fan of Mr. Bennett and that's not a bad thing. With the process that is in place, I'm sure that if the Selection Committee and the school administration feels that Mr. Bennett is the right person for the job he will be offered the position. If not, he won't. The integrity of the process (as well as the candidates) is what is important here.

Good Luck to all the candidates.

GA… you seem very passionate about travel baseball and the candidate for the coaching position, not a bad thing to be passionate. Right now at 10 yrs old you probably have a dad or two of the kids on the team doing the coaching. It is easy at this age because the moms and the dads are interested and the kids have no other options but to play where their parents take them.

I was not talking about 10 or even 12 year old travel baseball. I am talking about high school baseball where the boys have driver’s licenses and 1,000 other distractions. The younger teams start to fall apart at this level because the talent in some kids fades, they don’t stay interested etc. There are no travel teams in this area that have been together since they were young, the East Cobb system loses players as they get older or replace them with better talent. It becomes more of a business especially for the travel teams. The coach becomes a coordinator. There is little time for practice as a team because the players are coming in from different areas. If one kid can’t make the tournament the coordinator makes a call and someone else drops by for a game or two. You will experience all of this by the time your child finishes high school.

As for your statement about kids going to private schools, there are many reasons for this. One of which is the kids are “encouraged” to attend a certain school because of their athletic skills. Historically it doesn’t improve their chances of going to a Division I school. Please name one Div. I recruit, for baseball, in the last three years from any of the private schools you named that went any of the colleges you named. Richmond Hill has one! If that is one of the standards then Coach Curry should still be coaching. Richmond Hill also had the second highest overall winning percentage out of the teams you named in 2010.

When you take out the passion and start looking at the facts it begins to get clearer that the decision to replace Coach Curry was based more on passion or a conscious effort to bring in someone hand-picked in than on facts.

I guess the bottom line is here you have a coach that has had 4 winning seasons in a row, made the playoffs 3 out 4 of those years but just can’t make it out of the first round. Each year has been an improvement over the previous year. If you are going to replace him at least bring in someone that has the proven ability to get a state championship or solid playoff experience or give someone internally the chance to take it further. As fast as everything occurred this year after the season was over it doesn’t appear that the application process was opened up to a large search.

Good Afternoon,
I would like to offer to shed some light on some of the questions, concerns, accusations, etc. that have been shared in this blog. Some things I can't discuss but many of the issues I can address and clarify. My email is mpollard@bryan.k12.ga.us should anyone desire to exchange contact information and we can arrange either a phone conference or we can meet and I'll buy you a coke and we'll talk about the concerns you have. I am also available to meet and address groups concerning the direction and vision of RHHS Athletics. Thank you all for the passion you have for the student athletes in our community and I look forward to hearing from you.

Mike Pollard
Athletic Director, RHHS

I won't pretend that I care that much about this topic, but I did think that I would correct one item from the "resume" that GA posted. Stacy Bennett played a total of 66 games over 3 seasons in Rookie Ball and Class A ball. That is obviously more than I accomplished in baseball (not having played professionally), but it is a far cry from playing in Major League Baseball. For what it's worth, I don't really expect that his coaching or teaching ability is affected by that distinction, but I don't like having factually incorrect information out there.

Mr. Pollard,

Thanks for offering to help shed some light on this issue. Could you, for the sake of us here on the blog give us an overview of the selection process? How the committee was formed and how the position was advertised? Is there a school policy that spells out how coaching positions will be filled?

2008champs- first off, that is whats wrong, RH has a "high schoool" coach....to compete with other teams you need someone with a little more knowledge, but take this from a former player, there has been 0 knowledge since coach Bayens left. you got to have coaches that know a little about the game, "skippy" teaching hitting and coaching these boys in the summer gets you no where, "coach" traywick....rec coaches have more knowledge.....Fararea....thats all your knowledge and he doesnt have any say so......Stacy Bennett....well what has he done.....nothing, he destroyed the Chain Academy, and for the all star rec mom, Chris Edge gets the credit for Colby May.....Bennett hasnt prooved anything...except arrogance. there is talent in RH upcoming, but "daddy ball" gets nothing but a letter jacket.

2008champs I typically do not participate in these type of forums. For those who enjoy it is a good means of discourse. As a personal preference I had much rather communicate in a more personal manner. Feel free to email me. We'll set something up and I'll answer each of the questions you posed above.

Thanks!
Mike Pollard

people there is no "process" they already know who they are going to hire, they knew this over 2 months ago. You are wasting your time, more kids will continue to transfer until they get some proven coaches in here. Sounds like the AD knows as much about hiring as Brocato knew about footbll....ZERO. RH will continue to be mediocre for years to come, you say well "we hosted a playoff game this year", this is the weakest region in all classifications in the state in terms of baseball, next year will be a different story.....be lucky to go .500 next year

Interesting

This is all very interesting. It is just so amazing that coaching staff can be treated this way. My brother was head baseball coach at Glynn Academy for 33 years, was inducted in the GA Coaches Hall of Fame in 2009, when he got wind that some of the parents were not happy with his coaching techniques. He decided to retire before getting fired. He still teaches there. He produced two players to go to the Majors, one being Adam Wainwright with St Louis Cardinals. His team was in the playoffs while all this was going on. Because he retired, he was able to sit on the committee that choose his replacement. Needless to say, the hand picked person the parents wanted did not get hired. Just to let Bryan County know, this is not the only place sneeky politics go on. It just so happens, they got a new AD earlier that year also.

I was under the impression all openings were required to be publically posted for a certian number of days unless filled from within the county. I could be wrong, but most likely not. Haven't seen it posted anywhere. How do you find interested parties or the best available if you don't post a job. I don't know and I am not really interested in baseball. Good Luck.

The only thing I'm wondering is why the former baseball coach has not issued a statement of any kind after being released?
I don't really care about baseball either, but it is supposed to be opened to the public unless it is a hire with in the county. If you have paid attention to the last 3 football hirings thats how they have been done. Never opened up, but handed to the next guy in line. Traylor, Brocato, and Guy. The response we get-Feel free to email me and we will set something up. Give me a break.

you wont find anything posted because these "new jokes" in the athletic department are running the whole school.....i have never heard of the new football coach or AD, but this is tyical of RH....hire unproven "coaches" if Bennett doesnt get the job (baseball) i am sure these clowns will bring another exciting piece of their circus from Jesup.....this is their "system"....until RH pays some money they will always have the below average coaches........

The fix is in and it's a done deal. Administrators wanted it, parents that have kids that play travel baseball for Bennett wanted it, so get over it. Conflict of interest???? Not if YOUR baby makes the team and gets to play. POLITICS! You can't change it

I have read these blogs for the past few weeks with great interest at first, and now they are not interesting they are rediculous. If any of you want to know what the problems have been at the high school ask any one of the kids that played baseball, they will tell you. The stories you will hear from these kids are pretty sad to say the least. Oh, and by the way it is still about the kids, let's not forget that.

For people to get on here and make comments about Stacy Bennett that don't even know him, shows immaturity on their part. RHgoingdownhill stated that Stacy destroyed the Chain Baseball Academy. Please, they do a good job of that on their own over there. The fact of the matter is Stacy left the Chain because Buddy and Ben wanted him to turn his back on the local kids. Stacy did not agree with bringing kids in from other counties and cities during Summer ball. He refused to turn the local kids away and when he was pressured to do so he left and started his own deal. That shows loyalty and character on Stacy's part. If anyone wants to know one thing about Stacy Bennett that does not know him personally, that one thing is he is about the kids!

Politics? You better believe that the politics is alive and well in Richmond Hill! The politics have been around a long time. Just ask the family that has tried to run and control baseball from the Rec. all the way to the high school. They can probably teach Politics 101 at any area college.

If there was no process for hiring a new coach people would be on here picking the administration apart. There is a process in place and instead of allowing the process to play out people are on here picking the process, and administration apart.

I dont have a kid playing summer ball for Stacy Bennett but I do know Stacy. Stacy is a leader! He is knowledeable, experienced, and ALWAYS puts the kids FIRST! Ask any player or player's family that has played ball for or received instruction from Stacy and they will tell you that Stacy always placed their kid's development and growth first!

Mr.Pollard,

Again thanks for your offer to meet and God bless you for having that personal manner. I am sure it serves you well in your job. I do not have the same skill. I was just thinking that this would be a great place to get out your message, since you are already here, about the selection process and what it is. This blog has had more views than the number of people that voted in last year's mayoral race, so people are interested.

I saw where the process was mentioned in the article the BCN wrote but it hasn't been explained anywhere. Even if you could just give a reference to the policy would be helpful. I hope the BCN is following the story and planning to do a follow-up on the process and selection.

Quit POITICING, your golden boy has the job. He had the job months ago. Someone in the main office over there was making moves behind the backs of the recent coaches. There is yo "process", this was brought up during basketball season. If Mr. Bennett or yourself cant handle a little adversity, you should look into attending ADVERSITY 101 at yor local small area college. The reason Bennet left the Chain is not my business, however I can assure you that your facts are way off. GO look at the current rosters from the CHain.....ALL local players, so that was a tall tale. Please tell me one player Bennett has helped get to the next level. Dont even say Colby May because Bennett has no tiesto him. Is Bennett about the kids or is he about the money of the kids parents??

RH has had only one real coach to ever coach in the hill, he was successful because he played to win and not to satisfy, high school sports are different, there is no rule that every player has to play. Until RH gets a coach in there that can manage the game, teach fundamentals,play to win, etc. and not someone that is a parent favorite because he will see that little johnny will play....RH will never win....

It is impossible to please everyone....that is evident from reading these blogs. Richmond Hill has always been known for good schools but athletics have struggled over the years. It seems that the new faces have brought excitement and a positive outlook on sports in our community again. It is my belief that the system is working well. We elected a Board, who hired a new superintendant, who supports Dr. Spann and his administration, who hired a new Athletic Director, who formed a search committee to select a new baseball coach. It is good news for RHHS athletics for all of these people to be working together. Because of Mr. Oliver and the Board's support the RHHS administration can pursue great teachers/coaches for our kids. I am also appreciative that Mr. Johnson expressed his support for the new AD, who from what I can tell seems to be a genuine man of integrity, the search committee and it's process. The people that we elect have hired people that are trying to manage these tough issues and make good decisions for our kids. Let's put a little faith in them and give them a chance. I am sure with the continued support of the Board, Mr. Oliver, and RHHS administration, Richmond Hill's Athletics will soon rival the achievements of Richmond Hill's scholastics.

RHgoingdownhill, do you know Stacy Bennett? If you do, then you would know that he would not like what is going on with these blogs. He does not like drawing attention to himself, positive or negative. He is a conservative, quiet person that chooses not to promote himself or toot his own horn. Especially from blogs by people that does not even know him and what he stands for.

Yes, your right the Chain does have teams with local kids this year. 2 years after Stacy took a stand. There are local kids on the rosters this year because of a Richmond Hill resident by the name of Mike Alvarez. Mike came in 2 years after Stacy and told the Chain same thing Stacy did 2 years ago and told them that there business was suffering because every Summer they turned their backs on the local kids and the locals were tired of it. You can call the Chain and Mike will be glad to talk baseball with you and while your at it ask Mr. Alvarez why he lives in Richmond Hill but his son goes to Calvary and plays baseball at Calvary. Ask him why his middle son went to Memorial and played baseball at Memorial and not Richmond Hill. He will tell you the same thing that the current baseball players will tell you.

Let's talk about the kids Stacy has helped reach the next level. Yes, 2 of the last 3 years he did help Colby May. Yes, Kris Edge helped him as well but Kris will tell you that Stacy helped Colby as well. Let's look at some of the most recent kids Stacy has personally helped. Zach Dotson has to be mentioned, while playing for Stacy he was offered a full scholarship to the University of Georgia and was ultimately drafted during the MLB draft and signed at the tune of $500,000! Let's move on to Johnny Hester, who is currently playing at Middle Georgia College. Stacy has worked with him extinsively and Hester is being rumored to be possibly moving to a D1 college for next season. Joseph Snooks from Effingham High School look him up and look who he plays Summer ball for and where he will be playing college ball next year. Matthew Rahn is another name. Look him up and yep guess what? Moving on to college ball and played for Stacy Bennett. These are just a few kids in our area that Stacy has helped but let's talk about some local kids. Let's talk about the Richmond Hill kids Stacy has helped and is currently helping. Kevin Matthews is a good one to start off with. Everyone by now has heard of Kevin and his velocity, but before the Summer of 2009 who had heard of Kevin? Who took Kevin during the Summer of 2009 and got him noticed and got him recognized by college scouts and coaches? Yep, right again it was Stacy Bennett. What lies ahead for Kevin and his baseball? He was offered a full ride at Georgia and recently committed to the University of Virginia. Let's take two more Richmond Hill players, Cody Rushing and Cody Crowe. They recently started playing for Stacy and he has gotten them more exposure in the last 3 weeks than their coaches got them in 4 years at RHHS.

The school administration, school board, hiring committee, and especially the new athletic director should be praised for their efforts and yes the process they have put in place to find the best possible coach for the high school. The negativity brought on by bloggers like RHgoingdownhill should not tarnish their efforts. Wait a minute did I use the word NEGATIVITY and RHgoingdownhill in the same sentence? NEGATIVITY is one of the words commonly used to describe the baseball coaching staff at the high school maybe just maybe there is a connection?

Stacy Bennett left the Chain Academy because they would not fire a long time employee and hire his brother. He attempted to hold them hostage to his wishes and THEY parted ways with him. You might want to be careful that you don't try to paint him as the "Tim Tebow" of the low country. He needs a job to support his wife and child and has recognized that Southeastern Athletics and travel baseball won't pay the bills year around.

Gatorman. How dare you come on here and bring up the mans wife and child on this public place. You have no clue what you are saying. Bennett is an employee of the Long County School System (teaches high school). He has a job. So that would be no upgrade taking this position except for the baseball portion and being closer to home with his expecting wife. That is just some low class to come on here and do that to his familiy. His wife is a very respected teacher and coach in the RH school system already. I dont know about all that Chain crap, and I have a feeling know one except him and Buddy know what happened....and who cares. it sounds like you are using this to take personal shots at him and that is low. I hope you can sleep better at night knowing that you just opened a new can of worms with that little comment. Get YOUR facts straight before you start shooting at someones family.

look im not going to argue with you any longer on your false iformation, but I will say, if Mr. Bennett takes credit for Kevin Matthews and where he got, then why is the kid playing baseball in Ohio for the summer?? Also check the rosters on say teams from the late 90's and early 2000 Chain teams, 90 percent of them were from right here in the low country, when this area was loaded with talent. I can assure you that I dont need to talk baseball with Mike Alvarez.

I just dont understand why you boot someone for winning? ANd I dont understand why you bring a coach in that hasnt ever coached a single game in high school. It is a lot different in travel ball. In travel ball you let the players showcase their talents to coaches. In high school ball you must make moves and "manage" the game. Also with the names of the "committee", no other representitive, if there were any at all, had no shot. Even if RH would have made a run and won the state championship, still a new coach? probably since it was finalized back in March, while RH was competing for a region title and a playoff spot.

I hope the best for Stacy and hopes he succeeds and meets all of his goals. I hope that he can pick up where the recent coaches left off and not take steps backwards. There are a lot of younger players coming up that can play. WIll they stay or will they leave, only time will tell. Good luck to Stacy and RH baseball in the upcoming years.

All,
I think it is time for this to stop. The only goal in all of this is to hire the very best baseball coach that we can hire. This also means that we are going to hire the very best teacher we can find that can fill the role of the very best baseball coach.

Pointofview2, although I do not agree with you that Gatorman took a shot at Stacy Bennett's family, I agree that a new AND irrevelant issue has been brought up.

All of this debate about who got who a college ride is silly! I'll tell you who got these young men to the college level.....THEY DID. They did it with their hard work, dedication and sacrifice; things that most aren't willing to do these days.

These comments and speculation have already overshadowed a fantastic 2010 Wildcat season and are taking pot shots at a school system that is doing it's best to bring a positive focus on the athletic programs throughout the county. Please stop it.

Charlie Johnson

Well said Mr. Johnson and I agree. As members of this community we should be looking at the positives and moving forward. I applaud the moves so far and I am sure the committee will make a very informative decision that is in the best interest of the young men's education and baseball development. Like I said all along it is about the Kids! Stacy Bennett has only shown interest in working in a great school system and coaching a great group of young men. That is all! How he became the brunt of these blogs is wrong and not fair to him and his family. This will be my last comment on this subject but I wish the process good luck and a quick end result.

I hope it isn't Stacy Bennett. That would mean they let go a great Business Education teacher to create a space for a baseball coach with only a temporary teacher certification and no experience. It seems the priorities are screwed up.

OMG!!! eddiej this is so off base! As a member of the school system I know and everyone knows that this teacher had received bad reviews and showed no ability to communicate with the students. This teacher was going to be dismissed no matter what. This teacher's dismissal had nothing to do with an athletic position.

There is clearly someone within the school, administration, or school board that is against Mr. Bennett. I know nothing of his baseball ability but I know him as a person and an educator. He is a State Certified teacher and is very capable of educating our young adults.

It is well known in the school that our Athletic Director is doing a very good job and put a committe together made up of members of the community to interview all applicants for the vacant baseball position. This committee is to recommend one of the these applicants and I hope the board will allow this process to work. Come on you have an Athletic Director that is trying to do his job and he is trying to do it correctly! We support him for what he is trying to do and would hope that the board and community will do the same.

Come on everyone lets focus on what is important here! Its important for the school employees, administrators, board members, and community members get behind our Athletic Director and support the committee's recommendation and let's move forward with positive re-enforcement for our school and it's students.

Ms. Krump,
I can assure you that there is no one on the School Board that is against anyone. To date there has not been a candidate presented to the Board for a vote on an offer of employment. Please see my comment above.

Charlie Johnson

Ms Krump,
That's just not true. In 2 1/2 years of teaching at RHHS, she didn't received a single bad evaluation. She was an extremely dedicated and hard working teacher.

Eddiej,

To think that in today's educational world that a classroom teacher can be dismissed to make room for a baseball coach, is just plain side splitting hillarious! It just does not work that way. Anyone that works in the education system knows that. Let me assure you that this teacher's dismissal was based solely on her lack of performance in the classroom.

Mr. Johnson,
Thanks for your response and I only hope that the school board will allow the process that Mr. Pollard has put into place to take shape. Mr. Pollard has worked hard to maintain the integrity of this hiring process and we appreciate what he is trying to do for the athletic program at the school.

Appearently, in Bryan County it does work that way. I've seen her reviews and there were no performance issues. They did one just before the non-renewal of her contract and it was perfect. They commented on how she did certain things particulaly well.

It's pretty clear that if Mr Bennett wasn't in Business Ed, she would still be working there. They may be making excuses now for letting her go, but that doesn't change reality. They clearly want to hire Mr. Bennett, so someone had to go.

RHHS had a good coach and a good teacher. I haven't seen any honest reason to change either.

Eddiej... you would have to be either on the school board or part of the RHHS administration to "have seen" the reviews of a teacher. I don't think you're either. Obviously, this is a scare tactic you are trying to use for what reason no one knows but you. This is definately not a situation of getting rid of a teacher in order to hire a coach because there are many steps to relieving a teacher of their duties. First, there is a review process done by the school administration. Then, a recommendation has to be sent from the principal to the Board of Education. And finally, the board has to vote on whether or not to renew a teacher's contract. It was a unanimous vote not to renew this teacher's contract. Are you telling me that you want us to believe all of those people were in on a conspiracy to get rid of a teacher to hire a coach? I think not. Maybe you are desperately grasping at anything to create doubt. It sounds like you have a personal issue with Mr. Bennett.
As I stated in my previous post, Mr. Oliver, the Board members, RHHS administration, the new Athletic Director are doing a fantastic job of revamping our sports programs and hiring TEACHERS/coaches. RHHS needs more coaches. There is nothing wrong with hiring very qualified men and women that can do both. The search committee and process that Mr. Pollard implemented to have members of our community and himself interview and make a recommendation to the Board for who they think would be best suited to fill the head coaching job seems fair. Hopefully our school admin and board will not lose faith or govern on the opinion and nonsense of 1 or 2 negative bloggers. If so, maybe we need to reevaluate our board at the next election. I stand firm that I really believe things are moving in a positive direction. I think the process works. Hopefully everyone with an agenda either way will let the people do their job.

OMG x2 this is so disturbing!!!!!!! I totally agree. I refuse to believe that there is an inside "fix". I use this word because there has been so many blogs claiming a "fix" for Mr. Bennett to get the job. If this is true and someone has actually seen this teacher's reviews then I am floored!

I know nothing about baseball and don't claim to know anything about baseball. I do have students that play baseball and I have heard stories and if the administration heard the same stories I heard then they took this information and used it to make the recent changes we have seen.

There are too many checks and balances in place for teachers to be dismissed without just cause. Take a minute and think about what you are saying. You are damaging the reputation of our great school system. Many people outside of our community reads these blogs and this type of information is not healthy.

I have a great deal of "Wildcat Pride". It seems like we need more with this sense of pride about our school system and it's student athletes. I am a firm believer that Mr. Pollard is trying his hardest to do the right thing. I truly believe that he is very determined to turn things around for our student athletes in all sports at the high school. Please, please allow him to do so. Please support the process and make a decision to get positive about our future and the vision Mr. Pollard has four our student athletes.

NewLook you would have to be a member of the school board to know that the vote to terminate the employment of this teacher was unanimous. These votes are conducted in closed session as personnel matters must be kept confiential. The board/administration must keep all personnel matters confidential. The teacher is free to share anything about his/her employment that he/she wishes.

For the record, teachers in Georgia have a three year probationary period during which time the board of education mon fay terminate the teacher without providing a reason and the teacher has no recourse but to accept the termination. On the first day of the fourth year of continious employment with the school system the probationary period ends and the teacher is protected under fair dismal (often wrongly called tenure). At this time a teacher must be informed of the reason for the termination, given an opportunity to improve job performance in the case of unsatisfactor evaluation, and may fight the termination through a process in place throughout the state. If the teacher does not get satisfaction at the local level he/she may appeal to the PSC. If the PSC rules in favor of the teacher the local board of education must give them their job back (often with back pay as this process may take many months). If the PSC rules in favor of the school board the teacher is fired and can do nothing more.

NittyGritty,
Sort of.......No votes are ever taken in Executive Session; it's against the law. You are right in that personnel matters are discussed in Executive Session and discussions that occur in Executive Session are confidential however, all votes are taken in public and are a matter of public record. It is important to understand that this teacher was not terminated. They simply were not offered a contract for the 2010-2011 school year; there is a difference.

Another point of clarification.....Board Members do not normally review the performance evaluation of a teacher simply because they are not recommended for a follow-on contract. We rely on the Superintendent to provide us a recommendation and answer any/all questions that may arise from his recommendation prior to a vote.

This blog/comment section has become ridicolous! The inferences that there is a sinister plot afoot is absolute BS and insulting to all those involved in the process and the BoE charged with overseeing the process. If you are going to point fingers, point them at the right people and be specific with your evidence! Otherwise stop embarassing yourselves with general "what ifs"

Charlie Johnson

Mr. Johnson, I must say the BOE is doing a fabulous job of trying to cover this situation up. There is an administrator over there that let the cat out the bag over 2 months ago. I will not name any names but I can assure you, I have very specific evidence. I will not comment on that as well. I just dont understand why a move was made when the ball team was winning. Seems no one has a real answer besides, "the kids have been interviewed and their stories are so sad." The only thing sad is that someone lost their job because they werent plsying little johnny. As a former player of Curry I promise he plays to win. He is not the best coach out there but with a little help in some quality assistants, the team could have been a lot better. If the incoming coach comes in and plays the kids that shouldnt play RH will have a long, miserable season.

The only thing that is "ridiculous" is the "system" that was put in play for the hiring of the new coach. And the committe that was selected.

Wow! Who are you? You have managed to insult the Board, "an administrator", the AD, the search committee, and the process. Your continued negative comments and innuendo of wrong doing is "ridiculous". Obviously you must have been affiliated with team or feel you were passed over as the successor. As Mr. Johnson said...stop embarassing yourself!

I stated earlier that I would not post anything on this blog about this subject but after reading RHgoingdownhill's latest attack on yet another person I can't resist.

Many bloggers have asked that members of this community and it's bloggers use his/her energy in a positive way to suppport and encourage our administrators, athletic director, and board to continue to move forward in a productive manner.

RHgoingdownhill your not capable of that. You either have something personal against Mr. Bennett or a school administrator or both. It is plain to see where your going with your most recent post and if there is anything that can be categorized as being SAD, it is YOU!

Your latest blog is an attempt to single one administrator out in particular and that is low and unacceptable. None of the administrators at that high school deserves to have some low-life come on here and attack them and their profession. All of the administrators at RHHS are far too professional to compramise theirselves and their jobs in the way you are claiming. Especially, the one your trying to attack through your blog! Don't come on here and try to sling mud at this particular administrator, who happens to be way too smart to get involved in this situation. I would gather that this particular administrator is so far removed from this situation it would even make your conspiracy driven head spin!

Where is Curry? Where is Strickland? Where is Ferrara? Where is Traywick? If any one of them has been treated unfairly why are we not hearing from them? Have you talked to any of them? Do you know anyone that has kids on the baseball team? If so, reach out to one of them and see if they could possibly enlighten you on some of the truths surronding this situation. I imagine your not interested in knowing the truth, unless it involved some type of personal attack on the individuals your targeting.

The only thing your trying to do is raise doubt and destroy the process that is working and you can't stand it. Why do you address Mr. Johnson and make accusations against the board unless your trying to raise doubt and destroy the process. Guess what? It is also my belief that Mr. Johnson is way too smart for your negative, stab in the dark efforts to taint this process.

The bottom line is RHHS needs a baseball coach. It is the middle of June. There is not even a high school coach conducting the Summer baseball program. Mr. Johnson needs to realize at this point that the committee and the athletic director could recommend Joe Torre for the job and individuals like RHgoingdownhill would pick it apart. The longer it takes to make this decision the more your playing into the hands of the negative toxic individuals like RHgoingdownhill!

RHgoingdownhill,
The only person that can answer your questions is Coach Curry. The process is moving forward and although it apparently does not meet your standards, I believe that it is better and allows for more community input than the old process (appointment by the Principal) did. I believe that everyone is doing the best that they can to hire the best possible Coach they can to fill the hole left by Coach Curry.

Charlie Johnson

I have nothing against Mr. Bennett or the administration. Whats right is right and wrong is wrong. There are more than just me out there that know the real truth about the baseball program. Sounds like these three bloggers that are against me are on the administration and one of which is very close to Mr. Bennett. Its not that I have something against him, it would have been the same about anyone that would have been talked about during the season that has NO experience at the high school level. So to clear it up mam I have no grudge with Stacy Bennett or an administrator.

Look lady, i am anot trying to destroy the "process." I think the so called process has you brainwashed. And the administrator that you think has been removed from the situation is the eye of the hurricane. I promise. But Im the "low life individual" that doesnt know what I am talking about. You are very professional yourself. Just face it sometimes the truth hurts.

I am not giving negative thoughts here I am just telling the truth. So all you people that think I am negative toxic waste, well if thats what you call the truth then so be it.

The teacher being replaced was told By Dr Spann that she would not be renewed because her position was being eliminated due to budget cuts. When she questioned the logic of reducing staff when classes were already full, she was told by Dr Spann that there was nothing he could do because of the cutbacks.

That,of course,was not the truth. They posted her position on the BOE site, but did not list it on the statewide teachgeorgia site as they normally do with all positions. She immediately tried to see if she could apply and was told they already had someone. So, they cleared her position for someone already chosen. I would put money on who was chosen.

How did I see the evaluations? I asked her about her evaluations. She said they were very good. I asked if I could see them. She said she had nothing to hide. Her year-end evaluation was perfect, and her last classroom observation was too and had many complimentary things to say about her.

She also has a letter of recomendation from Dr Spann saying how she was let go due to downsizing and saying how wonderful a teacher she is. She has other letters from co-workers also singing her praises.

She doesn't know I am writing about her and she would be mad at me if she did know. I just think she was given a raw deal and someone should say something.

eddiej,
If this is all true, particularly the part concerning the evaluations, classroom observation and the letter of recommendation, we have failed, I am embarassed and I apologize. I can certainly understand how this looks. We can and must do better.

Charlie Johnson

Thanks Charlie, it is all true. I could check with her to see if she would be willing to provide you with copies.

Assuming Mr Bennett is the chosen one, why would anyone go along with replacing a good performing fully certified level 5 teacher with someone who isn't fully certified? Mr Bennett has a level 4 waiver that expires in December.

A waiver is where a school system will ask the state to allow someone who isn't certified to teach temporarily while they finish certification. If he doesn't pass certification by the end of December, he will lose the right to teach in Georgia. Waivers can't be renewed.

You can check this for yourself at the Georgia Professional Standards Commission website. Look up Charles Stacy Bennett under check certification status.

We should be more concerned with having the best teachers than having the best sports teams.

eddiej,
Thank-you, I was going to ask the Superintendent for copies but if she will provide them to me that would be good. Again, I don't know what to say and have already emailed other Board members as well as Mr. Oliver and Mr. Anderson. Above all, our system has to be above board with our decisions and demonstrate the integrity that we are trying to instill in our children. I can assure you that although I am a big supporter of athletics I have made it very clear that academics cannot take a back seat. We can have both.

Charlie Johnson

Eddie J,

when I read the post about the waiver of Mr Bennet I was a little curious myself....so I went on and looked at the standards website. ONLY to find a teaching certificate Level 4 that expires in 5 years. I would assume that Mr Johnson and the board have alraedy looked into this isuue Sherlock Holmes!!! "Assuming" Mr Bennett gets the job it appears he is fully qualified.

Just another Point of View

Eddiej, you seem a little confused on one hand the teacher doesn't know your writing now she giving you her evaluations ? I checked as well he's certificate is in order .Even this name eddiej as if your a board member ha. it's clear you have an issiue with Mr. Bennett and this is some sad way of trying to keep him from getting the job everyone in our school system knows this teacher was not effective. this is just your way of trying to scare people into not suppoting Mr. Bennett.Sad very sad! we do need the best teachers/coaches we can find and thats why we have a committee and ad. Mr Johnson i don't understand why you apologize to a bloger that seems to have issiue with Mr. Bennett before checking the facts. I'm sure the admin at the school would agree.as i've said before our Superintendent,board,admin and ad CAN NOT let one or two blogers with personal issiues run our school.

NewLook,
If you will re-read my comment you will notice that the very first few words you will see are "IF THIS IS ALL TRUE", I would like to highlight the word "IF". I can assure you that I am not as "simple" as you may think and absolutely check out as much as I can. I do it by speaking with the Superintendent and expressing my concerns and asking him questions and requesting that he look into things. Mr. Oliver is a very diligent and honest man that I have 100% trust in.

As much as you see Eddiej as a critic of Stacy Bennett; you appear to hold that same degree of support that will also shade your remarks. I can assure you that decisions are not made by reading blogs. It is silly to think so. However, I do read them and if there are things brought to my attention by them and in this case phone calls that I think needs to be looked into, I look into it. This is what I promised to do......serve the children and the public.

NewLook, I appreciate your advice and can assure you bloggers don't run our schools.

Charlie Johnson

I

He just got certified yesterday. I checked 2 days ago. So he is newly certified. 2 days ago he was on a waiver.

So, everything I have said has been true. I just didn't know he got certified yesterday.

Mr. Johnson
If you look at my previous posts, the only thing i support is the Superintedent, Board, Administration, AD and the Committee. That's the only thing i support, but don't agree with one person with an agenda against Mr. Bennett using scare tactics to influence the process.

I think too much is being made of these evaluations! Didn't Mr. Walker have good evaluations?

I have nothing against Mr Bennett. I don't know Mr Bennett. I do have a problem with a school system who will let go a good performing experienced teacher under false pretenses to hire a baseball coach. At the time the process started, they had no idea if he would be fully certified.

Again, I have nothing agianst Mr Bennett. I'm not a "critic" of him. I am a critic of Dr. Spann and anyone at the school system who allowed him to remove a good teacher and replace her with a less qualified person in the name of sports.

Check back on the professional standards website. Mr. Bennett does not have a T (teacher) certificate. He was issued a NNT (non-renewal) certificate in the last few days.

I am really entertained this blog you guys jaw going in RH. It appears you have a group that is pro Bennett, a group trying to submarine him, and a board member that has nothing better to do. I guess I'm guilty of that also since I'm on here. The teaching certifiate issued is a non tranferable, which just means there are a few classes that he needs to take in order to clear that. It has nothing to do with quality of a teacher. Most go back and get there masters after try start teaching to clear that. He had to of passed the GACE just like any other teacher anywhere else. This is good stuff though!!! It gives me something to look at while at work.

Again,

Just another Point of View.

So it apears that Mr.Bennett does not have a clear certificate. I am not for or against Bennett, could care less who the new coach will be. It does seem possible that one teacher,withpossible good evaluations, was not renewed in order to have a new baseball coach. According to professional practices, a school system must request a NNT certificate. Wonder which system made the request and why.

OK here we go, RHgoingdownhill, Garorman, Mr. Johnson, and eddiej: I think we can all agree that our baseball program will be playing in one of the toughest sub-regions and regions in the state next year.

Each of you at some point has raised questions in relation to coaching experience and how important it is to have a certified person working with our student athletes. Does this concern only apply during the actual baseball season? Or is this only a concern when talking about Mr. Bennett? I do not have a kid playing for Mr. Bennett or the school's Summer program. I was quite suprised however to find what I did when I went over to the school to see just who was running the Summer baseball program. Well, not that suprised once I seen who the person actually was.

This individual does not have a teaching certificate. He does not have any high school coaching experience. Actually he only graduated high school himself just a couple of years ago. So, I ask this experience and certification concern does not apply during Summer?

The majority of the kids out there were upcoming Freshman. I think that it would be very important to have a certified, experienced coach working with the youngest and newest members of your program. The young man that is out there may be doing a great job and he is probably doing it out of the goodness of his own heart but he is not even employed by the school system. He is on Summer break from college.

What process did he go through? Who checked his teacher certification? Who verified his baseball experience? Where was RHgoingdownhil, Gatorman, Mr. Johnson, and Eddiej that this was allowed to happen? Why wasn't phone calls made? Why wasn't emails sent out? Why wasn't board members contacted? Why wasn't blogs posted to inform everyone? I tell you why, because it wasn't Stacy Bennet!!!! And we are not to think anyone has a personal agenda against Mr. Bennett.

As post stated before Bennett was at Long County. And being a teacher myself, those are not just handed out and granted. It uually is because a school system feels stron about a teacher that is not "qualified" on paper, but fully qualified to teach the material and work with young men and women. So if they did that, it speeks high of the person getting the waiver...in this case Bennett. I was actually looking at this while post and it looks like Johnson was stiring this from the 2nd post on this thing. And as I stated before the only thing an NT certificate means is someone is missing a few core classes from a college. Has nothing to do with the ability to teach. As Mr Johnson stated earlier, just bc you played baseball doesn't mean you can coach it. Same thing here. Just bc he is not have a clear doenst mean he is not a Quality teacher.

Oh yea...one more thing. There are a lot of teachers that get good reviews that get let go....wonder why? So it does not taint their while career looking for jobs. Really is a favor to those who should get bad reviews!!!

Again....just an outside Point of View

How about it Mr. Johnson, are there any teachers in Bryan County with a NTT certificate? I am not concerned with the baseball coach position, but with the quality of teachers. As you said, academics should come first. Not saying that someone with NTT could not be a great teacher. I personally believe that a certificate should not be required but that is the current rule. Is Bryan County making an exception in order to hire a baseball coach?

Im back, ask and you shall recieve. So it is very obvious that you have something against the Strickland family. We are talking about summer baseball here mam, the boy is doing it to help THE KIDS, i believe it was you that stated that, "ts all about the kids" Why bring this up?? This has nothing to do with being a TEACHER/COACH. Besides summer baseball is for the ones that dont play travel baseball and it does not matter who runs this. At least he is out there on his own time. If it was all about the kids, then why wasnt Mr. Benntt out there doing this out of the goodness of his heart? Oh yea because it is for free and he cant charge a fee.

So to answer your question, No. People are allowed to volunteer and help out where help is needed.

Hey everyone. I was told to take a look at these blogs because they were "comical." After reading them I agree. I thought drama was bad in high school. While I was reading through these a couple things jumped out that really bothered me and tempted me to write. But before I start let me say I just graduated high school and enjoyed every minute of it. I think we have great administrators, teachers, board members, and coaches. I played baseball all four years and loved it. I loved my coaches and teamates, and more importantly I loved the game.

First, I would like to ask turnandhold and anyone else in this case not to put my name or any other player's name in a blog without knowing the facts. Nobody can take credit for getting athletes a scholorship....except the athlete. Yes I have been helped by all my coaches, but when it comes down to it I will take the credit for earning the chance to play collegiate baseball, not anyone else. And I think Coach Curry or Coach Stacy will tell you the same thing. Coach Stacy nor Chris Edge got Colby May to Georgia. His own hard work and determination did. Like I said there might have been some assistance, but Colby deserves the credit for that.

Second, I laughed when I read the part about parents sending their kids to private schools because of better athletics. I can only elaborate on baseball though. Last year we run ruled Savannah Christian, and when BC was in our region a couple years ago we had no problem beating them.

Third, the comment that most bothered me was what RHGoingDownHill said about Coach Traywick. Coach Traywick volunteered his time out there. He took time out of his life to help us.. And that meant the world to me! And he does in fact have some baseball knowledge. He gave great pre and post game speeches that really could pump up the team. All of our coaches could. So please do not start bashing a man that took time out his schedule to help our program.

As far as our region being weak, Thomson made it to the final four, and they along with West Laurens were ranked in the top ten most of the year. That's voted on by coaches so they must not be too weak.

I have said it before and I will say it again, I loved my time in high school and everyone involved. We really have a great school. Richmond Hill as a community needs to get behind our athletics and really show support. As a previous player it makes a tremendous difference.

Cody Rushing

pointofview2,
Any administrator that gives a good review to a poor teacher needs to be fired.This shows no back bone and lack of concern for future students. Please check professional practices again. NTT means non renewal, not non-transferable.

Golfman,
I can't answer your questions as I don't keep up with the certificates our teachers hold...that is done by the Superintendent.

pointofview2,
My second comment on this blog was what I had been told. This prompted me to have conversations with the Superintendent and the AD to express my concerns AND my feelings about the importance of integrity throughout the selection process. They both answered my concerns and assured me things were being done the right way. Me stirring it? P.S. at least your getting something to do while you're at work. Hmmmm.....professional blogger......I think I could do that! (ha...ha!)

turnandhold,
The summer baseball program is not connected to the school and thus the school system has/and does not want a voice in it. There are no teaching or coaching credentials required. I for one appreciate these college kids taking their time to run a program in the summer.

Charlie Johnson

Please ask the superintendent about certificates. I bet you will find that there are no NTT certificates in Bryan County. If there are any, I withdraw my comments. This is public information.
Thank you Mr.Johnson. I do appreciate your comments on this blog. I wish more Board members would participate.

I need to correct my previous comment concerning the summer baseball program, to wit;

The summer baseball program is not connected to the school and thus the school system does NOT have and does not want a voice in it.

Also,
Thanks Cody Rushing for your observations and actually signing your real name to your position. Seems that RHHS is turning out fine young men every year and you are definately one.

Charlie Johnson

OMG, This is great. All we need is a dancer and we have a variety show!!!!

Ive heard it all. Stacy Bennett is great. Stacy Bennett is bad. The system is rigged. The system is honest. RHgoingdownhill thinks everybody hates the stricklands (I believe the blogger is the mom). Coaches mother going to the school. Has a certificate. Does not have a certificate. Good reviews. Bad reviews.

Somebody hire somebody quick. Please.

Saw on the Bryan County web site that a called Board meeting is scheduled for tomorrow. Wonder if it about the baseball/teacher position and all of the controversy.

golfman i went on the RHHS site and researched teachers names for about five mins. and found in the last few years serveral were hired in on the ntt certificate and since have converted over which a person has five years to do.(Shineflew,Forkin,Martinez and hers is still a ntt)This is very common. I'm sure if you looked you would find many more over the years.Stop the scare tactics !

I stand corrected. BUT, if the former teacher was evaluated well, and was told that the non-renewal was related to cuts in the program , still sounds like the adm. wanted to create a position for the baseball coach with a certificate in business. That is the only question I have. If this was the case, it seems to me
(I have no knowledge about either teacher)
that this was not in the best interest of students.

I don't have a problem with the Stricklands. If I did I would not be able to live in Richmond Hill. For years if you threw a rock at a recreation function you would hit one of them. Go to a high school baseball game and throw a rock and you will hit one of them.

I have no problem with one of them coaching Summer ball but if your going to make an issue about experience and certification as it relates to one individual you need to follow suit with everyone. I wonder how many of the kids in the Summer program are not Richmond Hill students and they practice on the high school field. Yet, the school has nothing to do with it?

Pleased don't misunderstand what I am saying about coaches and instructors helping players get to the next level. I am fully aware that each player makes it on his talent, ability, and committment. Each player also needs a little help and instruction along the way to get to the next level. By no means did I mean anything other than that.

How long has it been since the interviews was done for the coaching position? Let's move forward on this. Has the committee made a decision on who they recommend for the position. Did the committee rank the applicants in any particular order? Has any of this been submitted to the administration or the board? All this fuss about one particular person and it is all over speculation and innuendo. I beg the board to take the committee's recommendation and act on it. Allow the process to work!

So from what I have read a teacher was removed after good evaluations because the spot was going to be eliminated. The spot was never really going anywhere, but they needed a teaching spot to open up for a coach/teacher? Okay so where does all this fall on the principal? Or could it be the AD in the principal’s (who has never really cared or done much for sports) ear for getting rid of a teacher to hire a coach? What experience does the AD have at being an AD? I'm just really wondering why the principal would make a move on his own to get rid of a "good" teacher without someone telling him what he should do. It sounds like the take over is in full effect at the high school with the new guys in town! Well, not literally since they don't live in RH.

By the way Gatorman we have had our differences on here but I don't care who you are or where you come from, everyone has to admit Gatorman's last blog is pretty damn funny!

Still don't understand how the baseball coach committee can select a coach. Does the head coach have to have a teaching position? If so, and he does not have a certificate in an area that has an opening, how does this affect the recommendation?

Mr. Johnson,
Please comment on above question.
Thanks.

Haha this is pure insanity...

It is not true that good evaluations are handed out to everyone. Administrators usually evalate fairly to cover their behinds when they do terminate someone. The terminated teacher had good evaluations and observations the entire time she was employed at RHHS.

It is clear the ONLY reason she was terminated was this rigged coach search process.

If the Board wanted to do what is morally right, they would offer the unfairly terminated teacher the option to renew her contract.

eddiej,
You are wrong. That is all I can say about it. You are wrong.

Also, your Board of Education is ALWAYS looking to do what is morally right. I am proud to serve on this board and believe that we have already had a positive impact on the Bryan County School system including the athletic programs.

Charlie Johnson

Mr. Johnson,

Thank you for your comments. I think you are an outstanding Board member and I believe you. I know that you are privy to more information than the general public. Please keep up the good work!

Earlier cjohnson stated something to the effect that he had talked with Mr. Pollard and was impressed with the process he had put in place. What? How in this day and age could there not already be a process in place? This is exactly how back door deals and witch hunts happen. Where is the Human Resource Department of the BOE and or Teachers Union? Fact....there was a small group of moms and dads that wanted Bennett in and they did what they needed to do to get Coach Curry fired. Pollard has been merely a tool used by them. Next thing to look for....lay coaches. Look for a couple of these same dads to be coaches with Bennett....just like football. Yeah thanks Pollard...you really have the best interests of the kids in mind...not!

keith reel assistant to Bennett.....just something else that I have right. I have been right the whole time on this issue. The board had no "process"....thank you Emerson, at least you understand the truth

I have helped coach curry in the past with fall baseball because school coaches cannot participate in the fall and would help coach bennett in the fall if asked(but have not been). As far as school ball in the spring, I have a junior and senior that will hopefully be on the team and I don't think any dad should be allowed to coach if they have a child on the team. So to clarify I havent been asked, don't expect to be asked, and if asked I wouldn't help in the spring.

Keith Real

RHgoingdownhill, Emerson,
You can think what you like, but I can assure you I looked very hard into this process given the rumors and such I heard 2-3 months ago. I think (I might be wrong) I have a good feel for why and how Mr. Bennett was hired. He was/is well known in the community due to his Chain affiliation and his opening Southeastern Athletics prior to the position at RHHS becoming available. It's over and we have to move on.

Charlie Johnson