On football coach change, enough already
Editor, Townsman:
Coach Ken Maglio, Tom Meyers and the teachers union need to move on. Coaches get replaced on short notice all the time. That's life. Nobody owns a job. Coaching is an art. Everybody has their own style and approach.
The owners of a team, in this case the athletic director, superintendent, School Committee and parents have every right to decide that it's time for a new direction. This happens in business, academia, churches, everywhere. Fresh approach, new ideas, new direction. That's why these changes need to happen. Sometimes it is just that the chemistry stops working after a while. It does not diminish the positive contribution Maglio has made over 15 years. Those will endure in the memories of the kids he has positively influenced. But this does not give Maglio or the union the right to dictate that he's the only guy who can coach Andover High football.
I don't know the reasons or events that drove the administration's decision, nor do I expect them to explain it to me. It was well known that at the beginning of the 2008 season, the assistant coaches were in open revolt. Maybe that had something to do with it. Over the past few years, some parents in the bleachers have expressed disappointment with how the team was being coached. Nothing unusual about that, no matter who the coach is. But if those feelings were becoming widespread and being communicated to the administration, it would be normal to factor them into decisions about who should be coaching. Personnel decisions are tough in any field, but that is what administrators are paid to do. If we create a climate where every personnel decision gets second guessed for months, our school system will degrade. The new football coach is well liked and off to a good start, so let's give him a chance.
I went to the "grievance hearing" at the School Committee last week. It was obvious the union was not interested in getting the grievance aired out. The union representatives were rude and confrontational, almost insulting. They just seemed to be trying to bully the School Committee. The committee offered to deal with the grievance according to the collective bargaining agreement in a private executive session, but the union only wanted a public circus.
Somehow I wasn't surprised. This arrogance fits right in with union president Meyers' recent comment that homeowners in Andover aren't paying enough taxes based on their income. Why can't we have a teachers union that is a responsible partner with the parents and administration, whose first priority is striving for excellence in the schools rather than dictating who should be coach, who should speak at Andover High about the Middle East, and how much taxes we should be paying? Let's move on.
Sam Washburn
39 Oriole Drive
