Job description changes for district athletic director

The Springfield school board agreed to change the job description for the athletic director following a recommendation from Zach McLaughlin, superintendent, at their meeting on June 1.
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Job description changes for district athletic director By NANCY A. CAVANAUGH | Jun 04, 2015 SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield school board agreed to change the job description for the athletic director following a recommendation from Zach McLaughlin, superintendent, at their meeting on June 1. The former description included a need for the athletic director to also be an athletic trainer. “We received several resumes, primarily from applicants with a training background fresh out of school. They did not have the director background, but believed they could do that as well,” said McLaughlin. “That is not where we wanted to be.” To meet the guidelines of the State of Vermont for dealing with concussions the school board needs the new athletic director to be an athletic trainer as well. “I called the principals association and asked what the requirements were,” said McLaughlin. “They said there is some wiggle room.” The “wiggle room” is that a person is only needed to be at games, not practices, and it was possible to use school nurses. There are only five games in a school year that would require their attendance. McLaughlin recommended changing the job description to only athletic director with additional funds for a stipend for the nurse covering the games. The athletic director would be a full-time position and encompass the middle school and high school. Board members Steve Karaffa and Ed Caron endorsed the recommendation, but Ryan Cooney, student representative, felt having the director covering both schools would be too cumbersome. “They are going to go bust after a year of doing both,” Cooney said. McLaughlin agreed that it was a lot of work but was the best the district could do right now. “We can’t afford more than this and this is a bit of a reach,” he said. The board approved the change unanimously.