frmrfan,
I spoke with Coach Guy at the recent golf tournament (Football/Cheerleader fundraiser} and he did not give me any indication of these concerns. In fact, he commented that things were going well and he appreciated the support he receives from the community, BOE, etc. Have you spoken with Coach Guy personally? Seems you bring a different message than I received. ?????

I can assure you that the BOE always steps up and tries to do the "right thing" (that's what we are there for). But please remember that the "right thing" is defined a little differently by different people. Personal desires combined with a limited knowledge of the "big picture" and available funding often skews what individuals consider the "right thing".

Please check with Coach Guy (again) to make sure you are on target with your concerns.

Thanks,
Charlie Johnson

I Just left the school and Coach Guy does not recall taking with you at the golf tourney. Different members of the board have stated that this is a "more athletic friendly group" now that Dr Brewer is gone. Strange that things have not really improved. Athletic budget is the same, facilities still lack behind other schools in our region, our coaching staff is still based on that of a single-A school and not a AAAA size schhool. Our football budget is $19K. The next lowest in our region is $40k. The average schools our size in Georgia operate off a budget closer to $90k. Bryan county's average median income is $12k greater than the state average. We seem to pass a SPLOST every time we turn around. There should money available to make things somewhat better than they are.

I find that hard to believe, but maybe he doesn't know who I am (although he seemed to know when he referred to me as Mr. Johnson).
Anyway I appreciate your research into the funding issue. Whether you believe it or not, this BoE is the most supportive of the school athletic programs than any other Board I have experienced as a parent or a Board member. In a time when we are squeezing every penny to ensure we continue to provide a top notch education for our children, to the point of staff reductions, increasing our athletic budgets is not a top priority. Athletics are important and I support them, BUT, athletics are not the primary function of a school system.

Charlie Johnson

Probably frmrfan was just doing what Coach Guy asked via Twitter on 5/17 to "Please encourage our BOE, Mr. Oliver, Mr. Anderson and all admin to help be proactive in athletics. And ask them how are they helping?"
Strange that he wants others encourage the support for him however he had the opportunity to discuss something he is so passionate about with someone that could help and decided to thank him for the support he receives from the BOE, community etc. instead of discussing the budget shortfalls.
Wonder why if the football budget is so small and they are hurting so badly they have new uniforms 2 years in a row? That must be expensive.

Coach Guy did not realize he was talking to Mr Johnson or he would have taken the opportunity to lay out his issues.

If you had seen the uniforms and the holes and patch jobs done to them you would understand the need for uniforms smartiepants. The old uniforms were a mixture of two to three different sets. That makes you look pretty sad when you take the field. Coach Guy is trying to change the culture of RH football and is headed in the right direction but he needs the help of the board and community. Most of us are tired of the football team being the team that other schools want to schedule for an easy homecoming win.

If Coach Guy wants to truly change the culture, he should work through the school system Chain of Command; not Twitter and 3rd party blogs. His "calling out" the BOE, Mr. Oliver, Mr. Anderson and all Admin in a public forum is very inappropriate and unprofessional.

I will make sure that he is made aware of the proper way to request assistance from school officials. I support all of the athletic programs at all of the Bryan County Schools and the RHHS Football program is no more important than any other program in the system.

Charlie Johnson

Working the chain of command cost us bringing in two highly qualified coaches that the program desperately needed. Now they are going to other schools because the chain of command drug its feet. If parents are asking questions he cant answer I would expect him to tell them to address the issues with the administration and the BOE.
Twitter is how he gets info the parents because it is very easy to use. Third party blogs are my choice. I know you are on here so its easy to get to at least one BOE member

To the best of my knowledge there were no teaching positions available therefore no hiring recommendations were presented to the Board. We cannot hire "coaches"; we have to hire teachers that also coach.
Working the chain of command did not cost anyone anything. I am done with this and wish the RHHS Football teams the best of luck with their 2011 season.

Charlie Johnson

Shoot they got Nike uniforms now and 15-20 coaches. I don't know how many of them actually know anything. I know we didn't have that when I played a couple years ago. Every game this season we had whole lot more coaches than any other team we played. Those Nike uniforms are the nicest around. I agree with frmrfan our facilities suck, but I disagree about the budget thing. I don't think any team has a $40k plus budget. Most places use their booster clubs and gate money for their budget. We are jam packed every game. Football should get all of that instead of putting it in a general fund anyway.

You can be done with it if you want Mr Johnson but we had two coaches leave in Ferrar and Murray. One a PE coach the other history I believe.

Mania love the support but you are wrong on a couple of things. $40k budgets are not unusual but are actually on the small side. That does not include booster money. Most of those coaches were community coaches that have outside jobs that pull them away. So far none of them have made it to summer workouts. We have 3 on staff football coaches. You cant run summer workouts, practices and 7-on-7 with 3 coaches