Don't Bother Applying

Washington High School Athletic Director Tim Ridgley's contract will expire at the end of June.

The Massillon Board of Education took no action to renew, or not renew the contract.

Ridgley's contract is being allowed to expire without action because it was clear to everyone that the Board of Education would not renew it.

A majority of the school board has other plans for the athletic director's position;

"Look, everybody likes to label people," (Board President) Weinberg said, "but there is a whole lot more to Jason Hall than just his ability to coach a football team. If we have looked at him in the past - and we may look at him again in the future - it has less to do with pure football than his ability to recognize, motivate, initiate and drive success athletically and academically" (The Independent, May 27, 2011).

It has everything to do with "pure football" and has absolutely nothing to do with driving success "athletically and academically."

This is all about completing the DREAM project, and by DREAM we mean putting football back at the top of the Massillon school district hierarchy "athletically and academically."

Soon to be former Superintendent Lisa Carmichael's problems began when she wouldn't support the plan to "reorganize" the Washington High School Athletic Department.

The Superintendent is gone.
The High School Principal is gone.
The Athletic Director is gone.
The Boys Basketball coach is gone.

The inmates are running the asylum, and the administration of our school system is being vetted through the 'friends of the program' football boosters.

If anyone is thinking about applying for the Washington High School Athletic Director's job, don't.

The decision has been made.

It was made over a year ago.

Head Football Coach Jason Hall will be the athletic director.

The end.

"It's (the athletic director's position) the lynch pin in the entire DREAM project" (Marshall Weinberg, The Independent, March 30, 2010).

There will be one or more assistant athletic directors.

They will be football guys.

All of this... ALL OF THIS has to do with "pure football."

We pointed this out over a year ago.

And the cards are falling into place.

Our school system is nothing more than a toy that the 'friends of the program' football boosters tinker with in order to perpetuate their one and only concern.

And that concern is not the education of our children.