It's All About the Kids

The Massillon Schools Dream Project - Developing Resources for Education and Athletics in Massillon. It was to include college readiness and leadership training, health sciences and tech prep with hands on health care experiences, as well as state of the art facilities.

The plug was pulled by the Paul and Carol David Foundation, who was paying for the new facilities, because apparently the head football coach, Jason Hall, was not made the Athletic Director.

Washington High School has some of the finest academic, athletic and extra-curricular programs and facilities in the area. These are great kids. Coach Hall has done a fantastic job as a football coach and as a leader in the school system. The grade point averages of our football players are stunning. Their parents should be damn proud of the performance of these student athletes, on and off the field. The kids in the Massillon School system have done nothing wrong. It's the adults who have let them down.

Why should the head football coach automatically be the Athletic Director and his offensive coordinator be the Assistant Athletic Director? What kind of message does this send our kids who are in other sports? You matter less? What about our Lady Tigers? Who cares, you aren't as important because you don't play football? The message to our other student athletes is horrible. Their coaches are paid small supplemental contracts. They aren't given jobs where their primary focus is to coach their sport.

The original commitment of the David Foundation was very generous. It would have greatly benefited the kids. Unfortunately, it isn't really about the kids. In Massillon, Ohio, and the rest of the United States of America, we each get one vote. We elect a board of education to run our school system. They appoint people to run the academics and athletics. It is accountable back to the voter. A gift is just that, a gift. It should come with no strings. A wealthy benefactor has no more right to choose a school athletic director than we do.

This had divided the Massillon community. Some people are talking about voting no for the next school levy because the head football coach will not be the athletic director. Really? Who does that punish? The school board? The Superintendent? No, it punishes the kids. A comment like that is actually dumber than when School Board Member Marshall Weinberg claimed that if Jason Hall were Athletic Director, drug activity would have been curtailed in the city. Marshall, you are now off the hook.

It should be about the kids. Apparently, it isn't.